NORTH CHARLESTON, South Carolina -- Many protesters here have asked one question after video surfaced of a police officer killing Walter Scott: They want to know why, before the footage, media reports seemed to run only with the narrative from the local police department.
"I feel like this video pointed out that the images we create in the media are false," Shanalea Forrest, an activist with the local Black Lives Matter group in North Charleston, told Mashable. "I think that the media can sort of paint any picture that they want to. That sways the public and the image the public has."
Protesters at Sottile Theatre asking for a citizens review board for the North Charleston Police Dept. #WalterScott pic.twitter.com/G6s8gmQU6P— Colin Daileda (@ColinDaileda) April 8, 2015
North Charleston police officer Michael Slager shot and killed Scott as he fled from the officer on Saturday. Scott was pulled over in his car for a traffic violation, but it's unclear what led him to get out of his vehicle.
What is clear are the several discrepancies between the police report of the shooting and the video's account of what actually happened.
Perhaps the most startling difference is the initial police report's claim that Scott took Slager's taser and tried to use it against him. The video, which you can watch below, shows that did not happen. It also sheds significant doubt on Slager's claim that he felt threatened enough by Scott to open fire eight times in a row.
Editor's note: The video below contains graphic language and violence.
The video instantly transformed Scott from a man with a lengthy arrest record to a frightened citizen running for his life. (Scott has not always paid the proper amount of child support and has not always appeared in court when he was scheduled to.)
William Van Dorn, a North Charleston resident, told Mashable about his concern for outsiders' perception of the events. Depending on what one searches on Google, he said, that person might still see the initial version of the story based solely on the police report. But he doesn't solely blame media outlets for creating that image.
"They get all the information from the officer," Van Dorn said. "It's the media. Good, bad and indifferent, they get it and they run with it."
People gathered talking about fighting for sustained change, racial profiling, history of Charleston. #WalterScott pic.twitter.com/AjLPUBEf1u— Colin Daileda (@ColinDaileda) April 9, 2015
That's exactly the problem that Forrest and her fellow local Black Lives Matter member, Muhiydin D'Baha, are trying to address. They want to find ways to balance initial reporting so media outlets across the country can include facts about the victims other than arrest records.
"[Media is] very quick to bring up their criminal case or their background, something they've done 10 years ago, as if that validates that death," Forrest said.
D'Baha spent much of Wednesday advocating for a citizens review board that keeps watch of police activities. Its main purpose would be to make sure police shootings are investigated. But, if such a thing ever comes to pass, he also hopes it might provide reporters with more balanced information.