CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) - The Latest on the trial of a former South Carolina police officer charged with murder in the shooting death of an unarmed black motorist (all times local):
5:05 p.m.
Jurors in the trial of a former South Carolina patrolman charged with murder in the death of an unarmed black motorist have viewed enhanced video of cellphone footage of the shooting.
Anthony Imel, an FBI image expert, was Monday’s last witness to testify in the trial of Michael Slager, the white former North Charleston officer charged with murder in the April 2015 shooting death of Walter Scott as he ran from a traffic stop.
The shooting was captured on cellphone video by a bystander.
The enhanced videos show an object, which Imel said was a Taser, behind the men at the time of the shooting.
The frames also show Slager picking up the object and dropping it by Scott’s body. The defense contends the shooting occurred when Scott wrestled away Slager’s stun gun and pointed it at him.
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3:40 p.m.
The defense has been grilling a key state investigator in the murder trial of a former South Carolina patrolman charged in the death of a black motorist.
Michael Slager, who is white, is charged in the shooting death of 50-year-old Walter Scott as Scott fled a traffic stop in April 2015. The shooting was captured on dramatic cellphone video.
The defense contends the state investigation was sloppy and attorney Andy Savage spent most of the afternoon cross-examining Angela Peterson, the State Law Enforcement Division case agent.
Peterson testified she handled only one murder case before the Scott investigation and did not receive specialized homicide training until several months after the incident.
She also said officers who combed the crime scene weren’t aware there were missing bullets until they were found days later by investigators for the defense.
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12:20 p.m.
The state is calling more witnesses to try to show that how a fired white South Carolina patrolman initially described the shooting of an unarmed black motorist differs from dramatic cellphone video of the incident shared widely on the internet.
The state’s case against former North Charleston police officer Michael Slager entered a third week in Charleston, South Carolina on Monday. He faces 30 years to life if convicted in the shooting death of 50-year-old Walter Scott.
Both state Law Enforcement Division agent Angela Peterson and Levi Miles, an investigator for Slager’s original attorney, testified Monday that Slager told investigators he and Scott were close to each other when he shot Scott.
Slager spoke to investigators before he saw the cellphone video. That video shows Scott falling to the ground dozens of feet away from Slager after being shot five times in the back.
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11:45 a.m.
A witness in the trial of former South Carolina policeman Michael Slager says the officer initially told investigators that he shot a black motorist at close range after the motorist got control of his stun gun.
Levi Miles told a jury that investigators interviewed Slager following the April 2015 shooting of Walter Scott. The interview took place at the office of David Aylor, Slager’s original attorney. Miles worked for Aylor.
Miles demonstrated for the jury how Slager described the tussle with Scott: the two men struggled, and then Scott rose, pointing a Taser at Slager.
The interview occurred before Slager was seen on cellphone video taken by a bystander that shows Scott being shot in the back while running. The video was widely shared on the internet.
Aylor dropped his representation of Slager once the video became public, and Slager was charged with murder.
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7:50 a.m.
The trial of a white South Carolina police officer charged in the shooting death of an unarmed black motorist is entering its third week.
Michael Slager is the former North Charleston patrolman charged with murder in the April 2015 shooting death of 50-year-old Walter Scott. Cellphone video of the shooting showed Scott being shot in the back while fleeing a traffic stop.
The defense contends Scott was able to grab the officer’s stun gun and was pointing it at the officer before the shooting.
The state continues its case Monday after already calling 27 witnesses.
Slager, who turns 35 Monday, could be sentenced to 30 years to life if convicted in Scott’s death.
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