We all watched the video as the police officer took out his gun, took aim at the man running away from him and fired, hitting the man multiple times in the back and killing him. We all watched the killing because it was recorded on a cell phone video and made public for all to see.
But apparently, the cold-blooded murder of the man… on video… was still not enough to convince a jury that the shooter did in fact, shoot and kill a man who posed no threat to him.
The judge in the murder trial of former North Charleston, S.C., police Officer Michael Slager declared a mistrial on Monday after the jury said it could not come to a unanimous decision.
“We as the jury regret to inform the court that, despite the best efforts of all members, we are unable to come to an unanimous decision in the case of the State vs. Michael Slager,” a letter from the foreman of the jury read.
Judge Clifton Newman said the case would be retried at a future date, the timing of which could depend on a federal civil rights case that is also pending against Slager, as we have reported.
Slager is accused of murder for shooting Walter Scott multiple times as he ran away from the officer in 2015, after a routine traffic stop. The jurors had three options if they hoped to avoid a mistrial: a guilty verdict for either murder or voluntary manslaughter, or an acquittal.
