Michael T. Slager, a white North Charleston, South Carolina, police officer, has been charged with murder in the killing of Walter Scott, an unarmed 50-year-old African-American man. On Saturday, Scott was shot multiple times by Slager in a vacant lot after being stopped for a broken taillight on his Mercedes-Benz, the New York Times reports. 
A video taken by an onlooker shows the victim running away from the cop, who pulled out his gun and fired bullets at Scott until he fell to the ground. "Put your hands behind your back," Slager commanded to an unresponsive Scott.
"I almost couldn't look at it to see my son running defenselessly, being shot. It just tore my heart to pieces," Judy Scott, the victim's mother, told ABC's Good Morning America Wednesday morning.   
“It would have never come to light. They would have swept it under the rug, like they did with many others,” Walter Scott Sr., the victim's father, said Wednesday on NBC’s Today Show.

After shooting Scott down, Slager walks in another direction and begins calling in other officers. A second officer arrives on the scene and has gloves on her hands and begins searching Scott's body but does not appear to be doing CPR on Scott. Slager can then be seen dropping an object near Scott's body. Minutes later more cops arrive on the scene, where Scott was pronounced dead.
The officer's account conflicts with the video released to the family. Slager had told police he feared for his life and that Scott had took his Taser. Slager attempted to stop Scott with his Taser but it did not work, the police reports state. 
Going forth, the chances of Slager actually serving time for killing Slager are slim to none. Since 2010, South Carolina cops have opened fire on 209 people and no cops have been convicted in any of the shootings, according to The State.
An investigation has now begun in the case of by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the FBI and the Justice Department. 
Follow Natelege Whaley on Twitter: @Natelege_.
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 (Photo: AP Photo/Courtesy of L. Chris Stewart)