A South Carolina man has vowed a lawsuit after North Charleston police dropped his excessive force complaint in 2013 against the same police officer who now faces murder charges for the shooting death of Walter Scott.
In September 2013, Mario Givens filed a complaint against North Charleston Police Officer Michael Slager for allegedly slamming him on the ground, dragging him and using a stun gun on him as officers searched for a burglary suspect inside Mr. Givens’ home, Reuters reported.
The complaint was dismissed after a brief investigation, but Mr. Slager was charged Tuesday with first-degree murder of 50-year-old Scott, bringing renewed interest to Mr. Givens’ case.
“If they had really listened to me and investigated, then that man would probably have been alive because he wouldn’t be an officer in the field,” Mr. Givens said at a press conference Thursday with his lawyer, Reuters reported.
Mr. Givens said he was never contacted as part of the internal investigation into Mr. Slager and only learned the case had been closed after he went to the station about six weeks later and asked what happened, The Associated Press reported.
Mr. Slager was fired from the police department this week after video emerged showing him firing eight shots at the back of Scott as he ran away, following a traffic stop over a broken taillight.
SEE ALSO: S.C. officer who shot man had prior excessive force complaint
North Charleston police spokesman Spencer Pryor said the department now plans to review Mr. Givens’ case to see if its decision to exonerate Mr. Slager was correct. He had no timetable on when that review might take place, the AP reported.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.