On Dec. 7, a federal judge sentenced white former North Charleston police officer Michael Slager to 20 years in prison for the fatal shooting of unarmed black man Walter Scott, according to ABC News.
U.S. District Judge David Norton ruled that Slager committed second-degree murder and obstruction of justice. Slanger pleaded guilty to violating Scott's federal civil rights.
On April 15, 2015, Slager tased and shot Scott five times in the back. A video from witness Feiden Santana surfaced, showing the fatal shooting.
Slager had faced trial in 2016, with the case ending in mistrial. At the time, Walter Scott's family's attorney indicated they would seek a retrial.
ABC News reports:
During the murder trial, Slager's attorney said his client shot Scott because he was in fear for his life. In 2016, the case ended in a mistrial. The state retrial and federal trial were expected to take place this year, but instead, in May Slager pleaded guilty to violating Scott's civil rights in federal court, ending the federal case against him and also resolving the state charges that were pending after the mistrial.
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