I would disagree with those who say that this was not premeditated, although that would be subject to debate. The fact that Slager paused between shots seven and eight indicates that he gave thought to the last shot, intending to inflict a fatal wound.

Lol, just love reading posts from internet trained and internet educated legal experts .

You don't think the pause was significant?

Not anymore significant than the first 7 shots fired.

This is just an incredibly sad incident for all involved. My heart goes out to the family of the guy killed and to the cop's wife who is 8 months pregnant and their unborn child.

I doubt seriously that cop woke up that morning and said he was going to go out a kill and unarmed black guy and ruin his life, his wife's life and his unborn child's life.

There is obviously some catalyst that caused him to fire or he simply cracked under the stress of being a cop in a large urban area where crime rate can be bad and he constantly has in the back of his mind that he just wants to make it home to his family.

Off-topic, racist posts and replies removed.

I would disagree with those who say that this was not premeditated, although that would be subject to debate. The fact that Slager paused between shots seven and eight indicates that he gave thought to the last shot, intending to inflict a fatal wound.

Lol, just love reading posts from internet trained and internet educated legal experts .

You don't think the pause was significant?

Not anymore significant than the first 7 shots fired.

This is just an incredibly sad incident for all involved. My heart goes out to the family of the guy killed and to the cop's wife who is 8 months pregnant and their unborn child.

I doubt seriously that cop woke up that morning and said he was going to go out a kill and unarmed black guy and ruin his life, his wife's life and his unborn child's life.

There is obviously some catalyst that caused him to fire or he simply cracked under the stress of being a cop in a large urban area where crime rate can be bad and he constantly has in the back of his mind that he just wants to make it home to his family.

And youre coming across as an internet educated psychoanalyst who is trying too hard to defend the actions of a bad cop.

Did it ever occur to you that shooting someone who is unarmed while running away from you in the back 8x does not indicate fear for one's well-being.

If anything, this cops actions and subsequent behavior reveals the callousnous and cold blooded killer instinct of someone who believes they will not suffer any repercussions for their actions. Why, because he will have the support of his commanding/fellow officers absent any evidence indicating foul play.

Obviously, the cop was wrong but it took video evidence to prove. How many countless times before has this and similar scenarios played out without the benefit of a video record.

Let's also not forget the random, frequent lynchings of blacks that were deemed socially acceptable not too long ago in US history.

I would disagree with those who say that this was not premeditated, although that would be subject to debate. The fact that Slager paused between shots seven and eight indicates that he gave thought to the last shot, intending to inflict a fatal wound.

Lol, just love reading posts from internet trained and internet educated legal experts .

You don't think the pause was significant?

Not anymore significant than the first 7 shots fired.

This is just an incredibly sad incident for all involved. My heart goes out to the family of the guy killed and to the cop's wife who is 8 months pregnant and their unborn child.

I doubt seriously that cop woke up that morning and said he was going to go out a kill and unarmed black guy and ruin his life, his wife's life and his unborn child's life.

There is obviously some catalyst that caused him to fire or he simply cracked under the stress of being a cop in a large urban area where crime rate can be bad and he constantly has in the back of his mind that he just wants to make it home to his family.

I'm guessing that's the sort of baloney his new lawyer will invent.

Evidently, he's been fired and charged with murder. Without the video, that would never have happened.

There was also a video from his dash camera so probably would have.

I hope something good comes from this unfortunate persons wrongful death and body cameras start to become standard.

The police chief announced they would all be getting body cams because of this.

I hope something good comes from this unfortunate persons wrongful death and body cameras start to become standard.

The police chief announced they would all be getting body cams because of this.

Yeap. They are trying hard to prevent another Fergusun.

Police killed 111 people in the previous month of March 2015 in the USA.

Police killed 52 people in the entire 20th century in the UK.

The law enforcement officer pulled the man over for a minor infraction.

The man was asked to stay in his car while the officer ran the ID check.

1. The man in the car disobeyed and got out of the car and was ordered back inside his car.

2. He disobeyed a second time and got out again.

3. Next infraction, he ran.

4. He was caught & resisted arrest.

The policeman used a taser. Fair enough.

5. He knocked the taser out of the officers hand.

6. He ran again.

How much guff is an officer expected to take?

The law enforcement officer pulled the man over for a minor infraction.

The man was asked to stay in his car while the officer ran the ID check.

1. The man in the car disobeyed and got out of the car and was ordered back inside his car.

2. He disobeyed a second time and got out again.

3. Next infraction, he ran.

4. He was caught & resisted arrest.

The policeman used a taser. Fair enough.

5. He knocked the taser out of the officers hand.

6. He ran again.

How much guff is an officer expected to take?

How much "guff " is worth the death penalty ?

Obviously you know nothing about policing or the law regarding the use of deadly force by police

I'll go on record and say that in the past 5 years there have been 200 police shootings and police officers were convicted in exactly 0 of those. This might go to a jury but I find it hard to see that a state that's so conservative such as South Carolina will convict despite having the video. Probably 3 mistrials and then a plea deal for 5 years probation.

There have been a lot more shootings in the past 5 years, more like 2000.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_killings_by_law_enforcement_officers_in_the_United_States,_March_2015

The law enforcement officer pulled the man over for a minor infraction.

The man was asked to stay in his car while the officer ran the ID check.

1. The man in the car disobeyed and got out of the car and was ordered back inside his car.

2. He disobeyed a second time and got out again.

3. Next infraction, he ran.

4. He was caught & resisted arrest.

The policeman used a taser. Fair enough.

5. He knocked the taser out of the officers hand.

6. He ran again.

How much guff is an officer expected to take?

What about :

The officer picked up the taser and dropped it near the body.

The law enforcement officer pulled the man over for a minor infraction.

The man was asked to stay in his car while the officer ran the ID check.

1. The man in the car disobeyed and got out of the car and was ordered back inside his car.

2. He disobeyed a second time and got out again.

3. Next infraction, he ran.

4. He was caught & resisted arrest.

The policeman used a taser. Fair enough.

5. He knocked the taser out of the officers hand.

6. He ran again.

How much guff is an officer expected to take?

What about :

The officer picked up the taser and dropped it near the body.

Very bad move that probably will fry him.

I'm not saying this cop was right. I'm saying the other guy was asking for trouble.

He had 6 opportunities to obey the cop.

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The law enforcement officer pulled the man over for a minor infraction.
The man was asked to stay in his car while the officer ran the ID check.
1. The man in the car disobeyed and got out of the car and was ordered back inside his car.
2. He disobeyed a second time and got out again.
3. Next infraction, he ran.
4. He was caught & resisted arrest.
The policeman used a taser. Fair enough.
5. He knocked the taser out of the officers hand.
6. He ran again.

How much guff is an officer expected to take?

Well, it would seem, according to the Supreme Court, a hell of a lot more than this one did. According to the 1985 SCOTUS ruling in Tennessee vs. Garner, a police officer may NOT use lethal force on a fleeing suspect, unless the officer has probable cause to believe that the suspect represents a significant threat of death, or serious physical injury, to the officer or others. Being as Mr. Scott, at the point when Slager opened fire, did not represent either of those threats, then Slager was acting way outside of his legal parameters.

The cop will pay the price for overreacting. A shame the taser didn't stop the fleeing criminal.

The cop will pay the price for overreacting. A shame the taser didn't stop the fleeing criminal.

You call that "overreacting"? I call that murder.

They are going to make an example of this guy and the victum's family is going to have a HUGE payday.

That cops life is over. At least the city said they will pay for his 8 month pregnant wife to keep her medical insurance until the baby is born.

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Yet you want them (cops) respected?


The officer most certainly did not have to use deadly force.

& the cop altered the crimes scene & lied.
Typical.
1000's of vids on YouTube exposing these pieces of shit.

Respect is a two way street !

Yep, and many police officers, especially in the bible-belt, but not limited to it, have lost all credibility and respect.

A Ploi from the mass media to draw the attention away from the real problems.

Systemic racism IS one of the USA'a real problems

How much guff is an officer expected to take?

A whole lot more than that before you decide the correct response is to shoot to kill.

The shooting is graphic but the amateurish way that the cop tried to plant the taser near the victim is what is going to send him to jail for a long, long time

https://youtu.be/JCh8HhZ3Bww

+1...He will spend his life in jail.

The cop is wrong and he will pay.

Tragedy for both families.

Although the impact will be greater on the cops wife/kid since the perp (driving his Benz) wasn't paying for his kids.

That's why he was running from the arrest warrant. Failure to take care of his family even....... after a judge orders it.

The law enforcement officer pulled the man over for a minor infraction.

The man was asked to stay in his car while the officer ran the ID check.

1. The man in the car disobeyed and got out of the car and was ordered back inside his car.

2. He disobeyed a second time and got out again.

3. Next infraction, he ran.

4. He was caught & resisted arrest.

The policeman used a taser. Fair enough.

5. He knocked the taser out of the officers hand.

6. He ran again.

How much guff is an officer expected to take?

What about :

The officer picked up the taser and dropped it near the body.

Very bad move that probably will fry him.

I'm not saying this cop was right. I'm saying the other guy was asking for trouble.

He had 6 opportunities to obey the cop.

Any attempt to defend the cop who shot an unarmed man in the back from a considerable distance and then plants evidence to get away with it is a very sad thing.

The cop will pay the price for overreacting. A shame the taser didn't stop the fleeing criminal.

He's paying the price, hopefully at least, for manslaughter. Should be murder.

One of the first things I ever learned was not to run from someone with a gun and not to run from the police.

Texas has already made it illegal to video police officers. I wonder who's next..

That video was horrible. Being a LEO for 18 odd years, that is not one encounter that I would have been proud of having.

You have the right to shoot at a fleeing felon. That guy was not a fleeing felon. Call for backup and count your losses if he gets away. He did not deserve to die for doing something stupid like running away from a cop.

Actually, you have the right to shoot at anyone who's fleeing but only if you have a reasonable belief that the person is a serious danger to others. (1985 Supreme Court case, Tennessee vs. Garner.) That has to be an emergency situation to protect the community. An example might be a perp who just robbed a bank, was shooting in the bank and now is fleeing with gun still in possession. Another might be a crazy who just ran over people with his car and is fleeing in that car which is now a deadly weapon.

This case doesn't appear to meet that standard in any way.

Texas has already made it illegal to video police officers. I wonder who's next..

Do you have a link? I find that a bill has been introduced to prohibit it within 25 feet because people with their new-found smartphones were interfering or even causing danger. I don't see where that bill passed or that it would pass Supreme Court muster.

I can't really tell, but it doesn't look to me like the video in the instant case was filmed inside of 25 feet. People have never been allowed to interfere with police officers.

Lol, just love reading posts from internet trained and internet educated legal experts .

You don't think the pause was significant?

Not anymore significant than the first 7 shots fired.

This is just an incredibly sad incident for all involved. My heart goes out to the family of the guy killed and to the cop's wife who is 8 months pregnant and their unborn child.

I doubt seriously that cop woke up that morning and said he was going to go out a kill and unarmed black guy and ruin his life, his wife's life and his unborn child's life.

There is obviously some catalyst that caused him to fire or he simply cracked under the stress of being a cop in a large urban area where crime rate can be bad and he constantly has in the back of his mind that he just wants to make it home to his family.

And youre coming across as an internet educated psychoanalyst who is trying too hard to defend the actions of a bad cop.

Did it ever occur to you that shooting someone who is unarmed while running away from you in the back 8x does not indicate fear for one's well-being.

If anything, this cops actions and subsequent behavior reveals the callousnous and cold blooded killer instinct of someone who believes they will not suffer any repercussions for their actions. Why, because he will have the support of his commanding/fellow officers absent any evidence indicating foul play.

Obviously, the cop was wrong but it took video evidence to prove. How many countless times before has this and similar scenarios played out without the benefit of a video record.

Let's also not forget the random, frequent lynchings of blacks that were deemed socially acceptable not too long ago in US history.

I have known and represented a lot of cops in rough urban areas where gang violence is prevalent including a family member. It wears on them and changes them. Guys with wives and children are particularly on edge and every day their goal is to make it home to see their families.

What happened was despicable. I also though the choke hold case was despicable. No doubt there are bad cops out there.

I am just not inclined to think or judge this guy an evil person or a racist without knowing more about him or his background and history. I am more inclined to think the dude just snapped and went hay wire on adrenaline until something says otherwise.

I have known very good people that were cops that have reacted pretty aggressively in chase situations. A combination of fear, adrenaline, anger and etc. is hard to temper when day in and day out you live on the edge and see really bad stuff.

RE: Video

Not sure I agree that this cop would not have had trouble absent the video. 8 shots in a guys back from a distance. They would have figured that out.

Cops dash cam showed that the dead dude did bring this on himself. You just don't run from cops and then you really don't try and fight them off. True, he did not deserve to be shot, but he set the events in motion. The cop did not seem aggressive at all when he pulled the guy over, got his license and went back to run his license.