Bad boys, bad boys...watcha gonna do?

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Quote:Ex-officer Michael Slager pleads guilty in shooting death of Walter Scott


Story highlights

•  As part of a plea deal, two other federal charges and state charges will be dropped
• Slager killed 50-year-old Walter Scott as Scott was running away
  

(CNN)In a plea deal with federal prosecutors, former South Carolina police officer Michael Slager admitted to using excessive force in the shooting death of Walter Scott.

Slager shot Scott in the back as the unarmed man was running away from Slager after a traffic stop in April 2015. In a reversal from his previous account, Slager admitted in court Tuesday that he did not shoot Scott in self-defense and said that his use of force was unreasonable.

Scott's death sparked renewed "Black Lives Matter" protests after the 50-year-old became the latest in a series of unarmed black men killed by police.


With his family and Scott's family present, Slager pleaded guilty in US District Court in Charleston to a federal charge of deprivation of rights under the color of law. In exchange for the plea, state murder charges, as well as two other federal charges, will be dismissed.

The civil rights offense has a maximum penalty of life in prison. The plea agreement states that the government will ask the court to apply sentencing guidelines for second degree murder, which carries up to 25 years in prison.

"We hope that Michael's acceptance of responsibility will help the Scott family as they continue to grieve their loss," Slager's attorney, Andy Savage, said.

The plea marks one of the first resolutions of a high-profile police shooting under new Attorney General Jeff Sessions. He has ordered a review of police reform activities of the previous administration -- many of which were launched in response to police-involved shootings.

"The Department of Justice will hold accountable any law enforcement officer who violates the civil rights of our citizens by using excessive force," Sessions said in a statement Tuesday. "Such failures of duty not only harm the individual victims of these crimes; they harm our country, by eroding trust in law enforcement and undermining the good work of the vast majority of honorable and honest police officers.






The shooting


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[url=http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/08/us/south-carolina-who-was-walter-scott/index.html]Who was Walter Scott?

Slager was an officer for the North Charleston Police Department when he pulled Scott over for a broken tail light. A few moments later, Scott ran away.

A foot chase ensued, and a bystander's cell phone video captured Slager firing eight times -- striking Scott five times in the back.

Slager initially said he feared for his life because Scott had grabbed his Taser -- but the plea agreement contains no such claim.

Slager's first attempt to use his Taser did not stop Scott. The second deployment dropped Scott to the ground but he got up and took off running again. As he was fleeing, Slager shot him.

Lawyers for Scott's relatives said they accepted the plea deal.

"What these government officials did is they told Walter Scott and they told the Scott family, 'You matter.' And that is what we need to see all across the country, not just when there is a video," lawyer Justin Bamberg said.

Attorney Chris Stewart said the plea represented a rare show of accountability compared to other police-involved deaths that did not end in pleas or convictions for officers involved.

"Today is rare. The Garners. The Blands. The Rice family. They didn't get this type of justice that we got today," said Chris Stewart, a lawyer for the family of Alton Sterling, who was shot by police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

"So it is a phenomenal day. And hopefully this will be the blueprint of future success for civil rights because it's got to change."

'Black Lives Matter' cases: What happened after the protests?

The explanation and the fallout

Protesters in North Charleston decry Walter Scott's death shortly after the shooting.

The North Charleston police chief fired Slager, saying he was "sickened" by what he saw. And a state prosecutor filed a murder charge against Slager.

But in December, a judge declared a mistrial in Slager's state murder trial after the jury failed to reach a verdict.

"In my heart, I will find the peace to forgive Michael Slager," brother Anthony Scott said at the time. "But at this present time, until my family can see justice, no, there's no forgiveness."

At the time, prosecutor Scarlett A. Wilson vowed to retry Scott. On Tuesday, Wilson said the state would not go forward with murder charges. She said the plea deal recognized the civil rights violation underlying Scott's death.

"While certainly the State charges addressed the killing of Mr. Scott, they did not squarely address the violation of Mr. Scott's civil rights by a police officer acting under color of law. It is essential that law enforcement and our community see the federal government address such an important aspect of this case," Wilson said in a statement.

"Now that Slager has pleaded guilty to a willful violation, admitted the facts we set out to prove and waived the right to appeal his conviction, a successive prosecution by the State is not necessary."