The Great Smoky Mountain Journal

Staff, Wire Reports

Posted: Sunday, January 21, 2018 07:26 PM

Federal Judge Rules Former SC Police Officer Guilty of Second-Degree Murder

A federal judge has ruled that a former South Carolina officer committed second-degree murder when he shot an unarmed black motorist to death.

U.S. District Judge David Norton on Thursday made that determination in the April 2015 shooting of Walter Scott.

The ruling comes as part of federal sentencing proceedings for Michael Slager. The former North Charleston officer has been in jail since pleading guilty in May to violating Scott's civil rights, and Norton is tasked with deciding how much time he spends in prison.

Norton also said Slager obstructed justice when he made statements to state police after the shooting.

This week, federal prosecutors and Slager's lawyers have called witnesses to testify about technical aspects of the case, including what happened to Slager's stun gun before the shooting. The officer has said he shot Scott in self-defense after fearing for his own life when the man grabbed the weapon and turned it toward him.