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Former US Policeman Charged with Shooting Death of Unarmed Man


North Charleston police officer Michael Slager (R) is seen allegedly shooting 50-year-old Walter Scott in the back as he runs away, in this still image from video in North Charleston, South Carolina taken April 4, 2015.
North Charleston police officer Michael Slager (R) is seen allegedly shooting 50-year-old Walter Scott in the back as he runs away, in this still image from video in North Charleston, South Carolina taken April 4, 2015.

A white former police officer in South Carolina faces federal charges in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man who was running from the scene of a traffic stop last year.

An indictment unsealed Wednesday shows a federal grand jury has charged Michael Slager with violating the civil rights of Walter Scott, obstruction of justice and unlawfully using a weapon during the commission of a crime.

Slager, who is white, allegedly shot Scott, a black man, after a traffic stop in April 2015 in the city of North Charleston, South Carolina, a state along the southeastern coast of the U.S.

The former officer also faces state murder charges in connection with the shooting. Slager is scheduled to be tried on the murder charges in October.

Video of the shooting was captured and widely publicized on television and social media, fueling an already contentious national debate over police use of lethalforce.

Slager is only one of 10 officers facing criminal charges stemming from 990 deadly police shootings in 2015, according to a Washington Post newspaper database.

The city of North Charleston awarded the Scott family $6.5 million last fall to settle a civil case related to the shooting.

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