“Jury’s Decision Looming: Was Police Shooting of Handcuffed Man Criminal?

On Wednesday, a jury will begin to assess the responsibility of six police officers involved in the fatal 2013 shooting of an unarmed, handcuffed black man in South Carolina. Walter Lamer Scott, 50, was fatally shot by North Charleston police officer Michael Thomas Slager during a traffic stop. The incident was caught on video, and Slager brought six counts of murder in 2016. He was convicted the following year and sentenced to 20 years in prison. The jury will decide if the other officers involved in the incident should also be punished for their roles in Scott’s death. The six officers have all been charged with various felonies, including deprivation of civil rights, presenting false information, falsifying an incident report and depriving another person of their civil rights. Prosecutors contend that the officers conspired to cover up and misrepresent what happened in the aftermath of Scott’s shooting. The attorneys for the officers deny the charges, and claim that there is no evidence that any of the officers interacted with Scott in any way after the shooting. The trial has attracted much attention from the African-American population in South Carolina and the nation at large. In a country that has seen a history of racial injustice and police brutality, the outcome of this trial could have significant implications for how law enforcement is held accountable for the death of an innocent person, as well as the trust that citizens place in their police forces. The trial of these officers is also being viewed as a test of the country’s criminal justice system. If the officers are found guilty, it will show that the laws of the United States can be applied evenly, regardless of race, status or background. Conversely, if they are exonerated, it could raise difficult questions about the state of justice in this nation and whether justice is truly blind. Whichever way the trial plays out, it will certainly be an emotional and thought-provoking event for all involved. The outcome could have far-reaching implications and will undoubtedly shape how similar cases are seen and handled in the future.