Bystander video of a South Carolina police officer shooting a fleeing black man in the back 8 times after a routine stop has turned the attention of the nation to the city of North Charleston.
The release of the video on Tuesday shed new light on the death of Walter Scott, a 50-year-old father of four, who was killed over the weekend. After the footage surfaced, and the officer was charged with murder, protest was swift and fierce, both on social media and on the streets of the city.
In the footage, 33-year-old North Charleston police officer Michael T. Slager is seen shooting Scott in the back 8 times while he runs in the opposite direction of the officer. According to police reports, Scott was stopped for a broken brake light. Within hours of the videos release, Walter Scott's name was trending on Twitter.
On Wednesday morning, a small group of protesters gathered outside North Charleston City Hall. One protester held a sign with the message, "Back Turned Don't Shoot."
A photo posted by Will Schutze (@mrbonetangles) on Apr 8, 2015 at 6:35am PDT
The message harks back to the "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" rallying cry of the protest movement that swept Ferguson, Missouri, in the wake of the shooting of black teen Michael Brown. At one point in the city hall protest, activists chanted the phrase.
Protesters in North Charleston, SC just just blocked the roadway in front of city hall. #WalterScott pic.twitter.com/CWLcAQLCuG— Trymaine Lee (@trymainelee) April 8, 2015
Signs with Black Lives Matter and Back Turned Don't Shoot. #WalterScott pic.twitter.com/ALYabc4Dah— Carolyn Callahan (@carolyncallahan) April 8, 2015
While it is not clear what role, if any, race played in the shooting, the video has reignited tensions nationally as the latest example of police brutality against African Americans. Some have begun to draw parallels between Scott's shooting and the high-profile cases of Brown and Eric Garner, who was killed in Staten Island when a police officer used an illegal chokehold to subdue him during an arrest.
The callous indifference of Officer Slager, as he stood over #WalterScott's body, is what disturbs me most deeply. #BlackLivesMatter— Ekemini Uwan (@sista_theology) April 7, 2015
And while the cases do have striking similarities, the particulars are unique. Scott appears to have been shot in the back while fleeing from the officer and the video paints a clear picture of how the incident played out.
Demonstrators shouting no justice no peace in city where presser is expected to take place #chsnews @Greg_woods pic.twitter.com/WGD1uQs3h2— Gregory Woods (@Greg_woods) April 8, 2015
In a press conference, North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey recognized that fact that the national media had turned its attention to the city. However, he said, his priority was to allow the family time to mourn Scott's death before jumping into debate about the shooting.
"We respect you, we are not going to do any national interviews until after the burial," said Summey speaking during a press briefing Wednesday. "I am not going to make this a political forum for me and the city, what we are trying to do is make sure the family has adequate time to lay their son to rest."