Michael Slager, the ex-South Carolina police officer who shot and killed Walter Scott back in April, is not receiving bond, according to court documents, NBC reports.
On Saturday (April 4) Officer Slager chased 50 year-old Scott, who was unarmed, because he claimed Scott tried to take his taser after a traffic stop. However, this is contrary to the footage shot by a bystander of the incident that surfaced three days later, which showcases the 33 year-old now-former officer chasing Scott and shooting him eight times.
Since then, Slager has tried to be released, claiming that he wanted to see his son and that he was “not a flight risk.” Despite his petition, Judge Clifton Newman denied it. Newman describes the prosecutor’s evidence found against Slager to be “persuasive,” and also said that his release would “constitute an unreasonable danger to the community.“
Slager’s lawyer begs to differ, claiming that his client is “no risk of danger.” Lastly, Scott’s brother Anthony released a statement stating that the denial of Slager’s bond is not anything to celebrate about, but rather just fuel to hope for a better tomorrow.
“There are no winners or losers when one man has lost his life at the hands of another,” he said. “Our family respects the judge’s decision to deny bond for Michael Slager. We trust in God and our prayer is that something like this never happens again to any family, anywhere.”
Scott’s death is unfortunately something that by now we are all too familiar with. Hopefully, justice will be served.