Across the nation, the death of unarmed black man Walter Scott in North Charleston, SC has once again brought the issue of excessive force by police officers back to light. During the morning of Saturday, April 4, Walter Scott was shot and killed by Officer Michael Slager. The altercation began with a traffic stop where Slager pulled Scott over due to a broken tail light. However, during the stop Scott got out of the car and ran, as seen on the dashboard camera recording from Officer Slager’s vehicle. After leaving the vehicle, according to Slager, Scott grabbed the officer’s Taser during a fight and as a result shot Scott as he ran away.

But eyewitness to the incident Feidin Santana took a video of it, and that video has appalled and outraged many all over the country. The video shows Scott and Slager standing next to each other for a split second, and then Scott begins to run away. As Scott runs, Slager pull out his gun and fires 8 rounds at Scott’s back before he falls to the ground. The video then shows Slager walk over to Scott and hand cuffs him as he lies face down in the grass. However, what makes this video so important is that after the shooting has occurred it shows Officer Slager dropping what appears to be the Taser, which Scott was supposed to have taken, next to the body and a few seconds later picking it back up to put it in his holster.

This extreme discrepancy between the story of the Officer and the video reveals the heinous crimes that were committed. Not only did Officer Slager shoot and kill an unarmed black man, he also planted evidence to make it seem justified. However, it seems police departments may have learned from the recent mistakes in Ferguson and New York, because Officer Slager has been arrested, charged with murder and fired from the police department. Instead of protecting this accused murderer, as in Ferguson, the North Charleston Police Department has charged him with homicide. Also, the FBI has gotten involved in the case, to help it reach an honest conclusion. Despite the tragic death of 50-year-old Walter Scott, this situation showcases the correct way to deal with a blatantly unnecessary murder of any unarmed victim by a police officer. We can only hope that the actions of the North Charleston Police Department become the norm in such situations, not the exception.