Walter Scott Shooting: Ex-Cop Michael Slager Released on $500,000 Bond
Michael Slager, a former North Charleston police officer charged with fatally shooting an unarmed black man in the back last year, was released from jail on Monday after posting bond.
The former cop, who is white, is facing 30 years to life in prison for the April 4, 2015 killing of 50-year-old Walter Lamar Scott. Video footage of the shooting shows Scott running away when the 33-year-old ex-cop opened fire eight times, fatally striking the victim in the back.
The incident occurred after Slager pulled Scott over during a traffic stop in North Charleston. Raw video from the cop's dash cam shows that Scott ran away on foot while Slager was looking up his information, reported CNN.
After chasing Scott down, Slager stated in a police report that Scott tried to take his stun gun during a struggle. However, witness Feidin Santana, who recorded the video of the shooting, said that Scott did not try to grab the officer's Taser, and that Scott was trying to get away.
Following the incident, Slager was fired from his post as a police officer, before he was arrested in April. He has since been in custody, until Monday night when the presiding judge in the case granted him bail.
The judge stated that he decided to take into consideration the length of time Slager would have to wait behind bars due to a delay in the trial, which will start on Oct. 31, according to The Post and Courier.
Under the conditions of his bond -- which was set at $500,000 -- Slager must remain in South Carolina on house arrest until his trial.
At a hearing on Monday, Slager's attorney, Andy Savage, argued for his release citing his health problems, including celiac disease, according to The Associated Press.
Before the judge's decision, the victim's father, Walter Scott Sr., told the judge how sad he feels to watch the video of his son's death.
"Looking at the film that I saw, every time I look at it, it makes me cry," Scott Sr. said, according to CNN affiliate WCSC. "When I go down to the graveyard, the only thing I see there is a pot sticking in the ground with flowers in it. ... If you let him out, he's gonna go home and look at his wife and children."