Walter Scott joins the list of unarmed black Americans whose deaths at the hands of white policemen have prompted riots, demonstrations and a national debate over the use of deadly force and racism. In this latest case, Scott's killing is unusual in that it was caught on film and has produced a murder charge against the officer. But in other ways, the incident is depressingly familiar. The population of North Charleston in South Carolina, where Scott was shot, is only 37 percent white. Michael Slager, the officer who shot Scott, is white, along with 80 percent of the city's police department. In Scott's shooting, over a traffic violation, the big question is whether a police officer can legally shoot a fleeing suspect in the back. Slager's report said that Scott had taken his Taser and that the officer felt threatened. But the video, taken by a bystander, revealed that Scott had been running away from Slager when he fired eight shots into his back. It also showed Slager picking something up and then dropping it near Scott's body — perhaps the Taser. For an officer to be justified in shooting a fleeing person, certain factors must be present, including that the officer believes the suspect committed or was about to commit a dangerous and serious felony such as an assault. The other factors include whether the suspect threatens the officer with a weapon or whether the officer believes the suspect will cause death or serious injury to the officer, other officers or to the public if not apprehended. It does not appear that the circumstances of the Scott shooting met any of these legal parameters, and that based on the video, the officer was not legally justified in opening fire. It is highly doubtful that Slager could legitimately claim that he thought Scott posed a danger to the life or the serious health of anybody in the community. Officers cannot shoot unarmed, non-dangerous suspects solely out of concern that they might escape. Neither the Scott-Slager struggle nor the use of a Taser was captured on video, because the bystander had yet to begin recording. But the footage changed it from another disputed tragedy into a murder case. An anonymous bystander's video made the Scott case different. This is why American policemen must start wearing body cameras. When an incident does turn fatal, a police officer's version of events often proves difficult to contest. Whether officers have reason to shoot or not, the cameras will at least help bear out an officer's account or call it into question. Why Slager did not chase Scott, instead choosing to stand and fire at him, is a mystery – unless you know the big picture. Most encounters such as Scott's do not end with violence or death. But they are far more likely to end in a killing in the United States than anywhere else. The bystander who captured the cell phone video says he almost deleted the footage out of fear other police officers might retaliate against him. That says something about some white police officers in some US cities. Slager's arrest comes after a series of such killings prompted widespread shock and condemnation. After incidents in Ferguson, Missouri and New York, Scott joins a list of names that include Michael Brown, Eric Garner and Tamir Rice, among others, all high-profile deaths of black Americans at the hands of white police officers. That Scott's killing reignited national outcries surrounding police treatment of African-Americans proves that even though America has a black president, obviously the bottom rung of the black civil rights movement has much catching up to do.
