April 08, 2015

Wall-to-Wall Wednesday: South Carolina Cop Charged With Murder

 
The nation is up to it's neck in tension over the array of slain unarmed and allegedly innocent men of color by Police Officers. Let's take a moment of silence in remembrance of our fallen soldiers like Oscar Grant, Trayvon Martin, John Crawford, Michael Brown and Eric Garner among so many others. The controversy, surrounding cops using excessive force and ultimately abusing their authority, heightens as another black men becomes a victim to a fatal shooting. 
 
On Saturday, April 4, South Carolina Police Officer -- Michael T. Slager fired at fleeing suspect, Walter L. Scott, eight times in the back until shot down. In a 1985 case ruling, the U.S Supreme Court held that an officer may use deadly force against a fleeing suspect only when there is probable cause that the suspect “poses a significant threat of death or serious physical injury to the officer or others.” According to Officer Slager, Mr. Scott posed a threat by taking the officer's stun gun in a scuffle after a traffic stop. A witness, however, was able to capture the events that took place moments later, reflecting quite the opposite. Check out ABC News coverage below: