Washington, April 10 (IANS) A video, released by authorities in the US state of South Carolina, showing the moments before a white police officer killed Walter Scott, an African-American, has generated outrage among the black community.
The four-minute long video clip, released on Thursday by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, was shot from inside the patrol vehicle of the officer, Michael Slager, now under arrest for the murder of Scott, Efe news agency reported.
It shows how he asks Scott to pull over for driving a vehicle with a broken tail light.
Slager then leaves his vehicle and asks Scott for documentation, after which the officer returns to his patrol car.
Scott then steps out of his vehicle and Slager orders him to remain inside.
Scott complies initially but moments later steps out again and flees as the officer chases him.
In contrast to a video released on Tuesday, this new clip does not show Slager shooting Scott as the shooting takes place outside the view of the camera, mounted inside the patrol car.
The earlier video recorded on a mobile phone shows Scott’s death explicitly and played a key role in the arrest of Slager on Tuesday.
Slager, 33, appeared in court on Wednesday and was remanded in custody, charged with murder, which in South Carolina can incur the death penalty.
The video shows the officer firing up to eight shots at Scott’s back as he runs away and collapses fatally wounded.