Former officer pleads guilty in motorist’s shooting death

A former South Carolina police officer who shot an unarmed African-American motorist in the back as he ran away from a traffic stop has agreed to plead guilty to violating the man’s civil rights. The federal charge could send 35-year-old Michael Slager to prison for life. Slager’s murder trial ended last year in a hung jury, but state prosecutors planned to retry him for shooting 50-year-old Walter Scott in April 2015. As part of the plea deal, the state agreed to drop charges against Slager, and federal prosecutors agreed to recommend a reduced sentence. According to the agreement, Slager admitted his error: “The defendant acknowledges that during the time he used deadly force, he knew that the use of deadly force was unnecessary and excessive, and therefore unreasonable under the circumstances.” A federal judge will determine his punishment later this year.