Officer sentenced to 20 years in shooting death

Ex-police officer Michael Slager was sentenced to 20 years in prison Thursday in the 2015 fatal shooting of an unarmed African-American man in North Charleston, S.C. Cellphone video of the incident showed Officer Michael Slager shooting 50-year-old Walter Scott in the back multiple times as Scott ran away from a traffic stop. Slager said the shooting was self-defense because Scott reached for his stun gun. A year ago, a South Carolina jury deadlocked in a murder trial against Slager. He later struck a plea agreement on federal civil rights charges in exchange for prosecutors’ dropping the state charges. U.S. District Judge David Norton ruled the shooting constituted second-degree murder. “This is a tragedy that shouldn’t have happened,” Norton said. Members of Scott’s family, including his mother Judy, testified before the sentencing, saying they had forgiven Slager and were praying for him and his family. According to a South Carolina Public Radio report, Slager turned to Judy Scott and silently mouthed “I’m sorry.” She replied, “I know.”