Ex-officer Michael Slager pleads guilty in shooting death of Walter Scott

Source: CNN::

May 2, 2017 at 16:29

An ex-police officer has admitted violating the civil rights of a black man he was filmed shooting to death, in a case that sparked a national outcry.

In a plea deal with federal prosecutors Tuesday, former South Carolina police officer Michael Slager admitted to using excessive force in the shooting death of Walter Scott.

Slager shot Scott as the unarmed man was running away from Slager after a traffic stop in April 2015. In a reversal from his previous account of events, Slager admitted in court Tuesday that he did not shoot the unarmed man in self-defense. He admitted to knowing that his use of force was unreasonable.

Scott's death sparked renewed "Black Lives Matter" protests after the 50-year-old became the latest in a series of unarmed black men killed by police.

Slager pleaded guilty in US District Court in South Carolina to a federal one charge of deprivation of rights under color of law. In exchange for the plea, state murder charges, as well as two other federal charges, will be dismissed.

Slager faces a maximum penalty of life in prison when he is sentenced later this year.

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