South Carolina police officer allegedly shot a black man in the back at least 8 times as he ran away

Christina SterbenzApr 8, 2015, 03:57 IST

A South Carolina police officer was charged with murder after allegedly shooting an apparently unarmed black man at least eight times in the back as he was running away, according to The New York Times.

An anonymous bystander shot video of the incident, which The Post and Courier posted.

The officer, Michael Slager, 33, said he first pulled over Walter Scott, 50, for driving a Mercedes Benz with a broken brake light. Slager, through his attorney David Aylor, has told the media that Scott took off running, and when Slager took out his Taser, Scott wrestled it from him because he felt threatened, The Post and Courier reported.

The footage, however, which shows the end of the confrontation, seems to contradict his statements. Aylor has since resigned as Slager's lawyer, according to the Post and Courier.

At a press conference Tuesday, Mayor Keith Sumney called Slager's actions a "bad decision" and said that he would be charged with murder.

Slager is now in police custody. The State Law Enforcement Division is also looking into the case.

North Charleston is the South Carolina's third-largest city, the population totaling around 100,000, according to data obtained by the New York Times. While African-Americans make up 47% of the residents, the police department is about 80% white.

NOW WATCH: This 40-year-old Indonesian is Obama's doppelgänger

Please enable Javascript to watch this video

Cookies on the Business Insider India website

South Carolina police officer allegedly shot a black man in the back at least 8 times as he ran away

NOW WATCH: This 40-year-old Indonesian is Obama's doppelgänger