Walter Scott's brother says he's not sure if race played a factor in the shooting
The older brother of a Walter Scott, a black man who was fatally shot in the back by white police officer Michael Slager, says he is not sure if race played any role in the shooting.
“I don’t believe so, but I don’t know,” said Anthony Scott said. “I believe he was running because he didn’t want to be tased.”
Before video of the shooting surfaced, police had said there was a fight over the officer’s stun gun.
The older brother said Walter was the middle of three brothers who friends called “The Three Amigos.”
“We were really close, the three of us,” he said.
The fatal shooting is bringing more attention to legislation that would require all South Carolina police officers to wear body cameras. An attorney representing the family of Walter Scott says witness video showing North Charleston Patrolman Michael Slager shooting Scott in the back is what pushed prosecutors to charge Slager with murder.
A state senator representing North Charleston says he hopes the case advances body camera legislation, which has been held up due to cost concerns.
Anthony Scott told a news conference on Tuesday that the family was thankful for the video, shot by an unidentified witness, because without it, they might not have gotten justice.
“If we didn’t see the video, would we know the truth?” said Anthony Scott. “From the beginning … all we wanted was the truth. … We can’t get my brother back … but through the process, justice has been served.”
The Scotts’ mother, standing with their father, shouted out “Thank you, Lord!” and “Hallelujah!” as the family’s lawyer, L. Chris Stewart, began the news conference. Stewart said the family plans to sue the police department.
