• Celebrity
    • Daniel Kaluuya – Digital Cover
    • Cardi B and Offset Cover
    • Method Man – Digital Cover
    • Zazie Beetz – Digital Cover
    • Celebrity News
    • ‘Yes, Girl!’ Podcast
    • Entertainment
    • Black Celeb Couples
    • Celebrity Moms
    • Red Carpet
  • Fashion
    • Fashion News
    • Fashion House 2021
    • Street Style
    • Accessories
    • Fashion Week
  • Beauty
    • Black Beauty Awards 2022
    • ESSENCE Hair Awards 2022
    • AVEENO® Skin Health Startup Accelerator
    • MAYBELLINE: FIT ME MATTE + PORELESS
    • Beauty News
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
  • Hair
    • Hair News
    • Natural
    • Relaxed
    • Transitioning
    • Weaves
    • 4C
  • Love
    • Love & Sex
    • The Solve Podcast
    • Weddings
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
  • Lifestyle
    • Build Your Legacy 2022
    • Prudential – Dream & Plan with Confidence
    • Black History Month
    • AMEX Platinum Travel
    • Holiday Gift Guide
    • Lifestyle News
    • Coronavirus: Everything You Need to Know
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Money & Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Black Travel Guide
    • Currency Conversations
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Raise Your Voice
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Videos
  • Festival
  • Events
    • Road to Festival
    • 2022 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2022 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
    • Entrepreneur Summit 2021
    • Wellness House
    • VAX & VIBES Louisiana
    • Girls United Summit 2021
    • She Got Now
    • Fashion House 2021
    • GU Back To School
    • Dear Black Men
    • I Am Speaking
    • WELLNESS HOUSE: YEAR OF RENEWAL
    • Power Tools
    • Making Moves Now: Virtual Bootcamp
    • #EF SESSIONS
    • Cares Act
    • News & Announcements
  • Essence Studios
  • Girls United
  • Subscribe
  • Newsletters

WHERE BLACK WOMEN COME FIRST

Every day we're serving Black women deeply. Come get a plate of goodness! Sign up for daily content and exclusive offers you'll love!

Your email is required.
Your email is in invalid format.
Confirm email is required.
Email did not match.
By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms of Use and that you have read our Privacy Policy
Skip to content
SUBSCRIBE
  • MAGAZINE
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Celebrity
    • Daniel Kaluuya – Digital Cover
    • Cardi B and Offset – Print Cover
    • Method Man – Digital Cover
    • Zazie Beetz – Digital Cover
    • Celebrity News
    • ‘Yes, Girl!’ Podcast
    • Entertainment
    • Black Celeb Couples
    • Celebrity Moms
    • Red Carpet
  • Fashion
    • Fashion News
    • Fashion House 2021
    • Street Style
    • Accessories
    • Fashion Week
  • Beauty
    • Black Beauty Awards 2022
    • ESSENCE Hair Awards 2022
    • AVEENO® Skin Health Startup Accelerator
    • Beauty News
    • MAYBELLINE: FIT ME MATTE + PORELESS
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
  • Hair
    • Hair News
    • Natural
    • Relaxed
    • Transitioning
    • Weaves
    • 4C
  • Love
    • Love & Sex News
    • The Solve Podcast
    • Weddings
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
  • Lifestyle
    • Build Your Legacy 2022
    • Prudential – Dream & Plan with Confidence
    • Black History Month
    • AMEX Platinum Travel
    • Holiday Gift Guide
    • Lifestyle News
    • Coronavirus: Everything You Need to Know
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Money & Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Black Travel Guide
    • Currency Conversations
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Raise Your Voice
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Videos
  • Festival
    • Sponsors
    • Fest Videos
  • Events
    • Road to Festival
    • 2022 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2022 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
    • Entrepreneur Summit 2021
    • Wellness House
    • VAX & VIBES Louisiana
    • Girls United Summit 2021
    • She Got Now
    • Fashion House 2021
    • GU Back To School
    • Dear Black Men
    • I Am Speaking
    • WELLNESS HOUSE: YEAR OF RENEWAL
    • Power Tools
    • Making Moves Now: Virtual Bootcamp
    • #EF SESSIONS
    • Cares Act
    • News & Announcements
  • Studios
  • Girls United
Home · News

Everything You Need to Know About the Fatal Shooting of Walter Scott

On Saturday morning, unarmed South Carolina resident Walter Scott was fatally shot by Officer Michael Slager, who was arrested yesterday and charged with murder. Here are all the facts you need to know about the tragedy that was caught on camera. [Warning: Story contains graphic images]

By Taylor Lewis · Updated October 27, 2020
01
The Walter Scott Shooting

Update:

• Less than a week after the killing, Officer Michael Slager, who shot Walter Scott, was fired from his position. “I have watched the video, and I was sickened by what I saw,” North Charleston Police Chief Eddie Driggers said at a press conference. “And I have not watched it since.”

• North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey has issued an executive order requiring that body cameras be mandatory for the city’s police officers.

• Feidin Santana, who filmed the shooting, appeared on The Today Show and said that he feared for his life. Both police officers and the general public knows where he lives. “What does [Santana] do when the people who are supposed to protect us are the ones that are turned against us?” Santana’s lawyer, Todd Rutherford, said on Today.

Everything You Need to Know About the Fatal Shooting of Walter Scott
TIME
02
The Walter Scott Shooting

• Around 9:30am on Saturday morning, unarmed 50-year-old Walter Scott, a Black man, was pulled over by 33-year-old Officer Michael Slager, a White man, for a broken taillight in North Charleston, S.C. 

• African-Americans make up 47 percent of the city’s population, compared to Whites, who make up 37 percent. According to the most recent information from the Department of Justice—which was released in 2007—the police department is 80 percent White.

Everything You Need to Know About the Fatal Shooting of Walter Scott
AP Photo/Courtesy of L. Chris Stewart
03
The Walter Scott Shooting

• According to police reports, Scott fled after being pulled over and ran into a grassy lot.

• Witness video shows Slager, who said that he feared for his life after Scott ran away with his Taser, firing eight bullets. The video doesn’t show the alleged scuffle with the stun gun leading up to the shooting.

• Scott collapsed face down soon after Slager shot him. A coroner later reported that he had been hit five times: once in the ear, once in the rear and three times in the back.

Everything You Need to Know About the Fatal Shooting of Walter Scott
Twitter
04
The Walter Scott Shooting

• After Scott fell, Slager calmly walked over to Scott, who was unresponsive, and handcuffed him. A second officer then appeared at the scene and ordered a medical kit.

• As the second officer is standing over Scott, Slager goes to an object that had fallen from his belt, walks back to Scott and tosses it near his body. It is unclear whether it was the alleged Taser that he said Scoot took.

Everything You Need to Know About the Fatal Shooting of Walter Scott
AP Photo/Courtesy of L. Chris Stewart
05
The Walter Scott Shooting

• Slager claims that he performed CPR, but according to the video, no one administered medical attention. Before the ambulance arrived, there was a total of three officers present, one of whom had fetched a medical kit.

• Scott’s brother Anthony said that when he arrived at the scene, officers told him that his brother was dead, but wouldn’t disclose what happened.

Everything You Need to Know About the Fatal Shooting of Walter Scott
Twitter
06
The Walter Scott Shooting

• Three days after the shooting, Slager was arrested and charged with murder. North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey announced the charges last night. “When you’re wrong, you’re wrong,” he said at a press conference. “And if you make a bad decision, I don’t care if you’re behind the shield or just a citizen on the street, you have to live by that decision.”

• The Scott family lawyer, Chris Stewart, said that the family believes that Scott was fleeing because he owed back child support for one of his four children.

Everything You Need to Know About the Fatal Shooting of Walter Scott
Charleston County Sheriff’s Office
07
The Walter Scott Shooting

• At a press conference yesterday, Stewart announced that the family was overjoyed that the officer would be held accountable. “It brought a short sense of relief and joy that the distance that we have to travel to try and get justice was beginning and that for the first time in a long time, an officer was going to be charged for something like this,” Stewart said at a press conference as Scott’s mother wept and thanked the Lord for justice.

• His family, who has asked the public to remain calm and peaceful during the investigation, has filed a civil lawsuit against both the North Charleston Police Department and the state of South Carolina. South Carolina Law Enforcement Division has launched a probe into the shooting. The FBI and the Department of Justice are also investigating.

Everything You Need to Know About the Fatal Shooting of Walter Scott
YouTube

Read More

On Marcus Garvey’s 135th Birthday, A New Documentary Is Honoring His Life And Legacy
Culture
Inside The Marcus Garvey Documentary Seeking To Clear The Ac...
All The Celeb Couples Came Out For Draymond Green And Hazel Renee’s Wedding
Love & Sex
All The Celeb Couples Came Out For Draymond Green And Hazel ...
Roberta Moradfar Details The Do’s And Don’ts Of Sun Care For Black Skin
Beauty
Advanced Aesthetics Practitioner Roberta Moradfar Details Th...
Ja Rule Talks New NFT Platform And Why It’s Poised To Revolutionize How We Appreciate Art
Money & Career
Ja Rule Talks New NFT Platform And Why It’s Poised To Revo...
Amazon’s Fall Fashion Lineup Is Already Looking Good – 11 Pieces I’m Eyeing
Shop
Amazon's Fall Fashion Lineup Is Already Looking Good – 11 ...
COMPANY INFORMATION
  • Our Company
  • Customer Service
  • Essence Ventures
  • Change Your Address
  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Internships
  • Media Kit
  • tag
SUBSCRIBE
  • Newsletters
  • Give a Gift of ESSENCE
  • Magazine Tablet Edition
FOLLOW US
MORE ON ESSENCE
  • Home
  • Love
  • Celebrity
  • Beauty
  • Hair
  • Fashion
  • ESSENCE festival

ESSENCE.com is part of ESSENCE Communications, Inc.

Essence may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.

©2022 ESSENCE Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Essence.com Advertising Terms

Get The ESSENCE Newsletter and
Special Offers delivered to your inbox

By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Get The ESSENCE Magazine
by subscribing below
subscribe now