police shooting black men
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#StephonClark: One Year Later, There Is Still No Justice and No Peace
One year ago today, 22-year-old Stephon Clark was shot and killed by two police officers as he stood in the backyard of his grandparents’ home in the Meadowview neighborhood of Sacramento, Calif. Officers Terrence Mercadal and Jared Robinet said they feared for their lives—a common refrain that often leads to law enforcement officers being exonerated…
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There’s No Such Thing as ‘Good Police’
In the reality-adjacent, Baltimore-centered ecosystem of The Wire, “good police” stood as the single highest honor a character could receive. It was reserved for those who possessed the inherent qualities making someone a naturally gifted police officer and who also performed those duties with integrity and verve. You had to be born “good police,” but…
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#WalterScott: Former Police Officer Michael Slager Cries Broke, Asks for Public Funding for His 2nd Murder Trial
Former North Charleston, S.C., Police Officer Michael Slager, who is charged with the murder of unarmed black motorist Walter Scott after a routine traffic stop in April 2015, is asking for public funding to pay for his second trial. The Charleston Post and Courier reports that Slager appeared to qualify for a court-appointed lawyer earlier…
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Judge Denies Dismissal of Charges Against Police Officer Who Killed Philando Castile
Defense attorneys for the police officer who shot and killed Philando Castile attempted to get the manslaughter charges against him dropped, arguing that Castile was culpable in his own death, but a judge disagreed and denied the dismissal Wednesday, ruling that the trial against the officer will move forward. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that…
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#WalterScott: Michael Slager Takes the Stand in His Trial for Murder
The white former North Charleston, S.C., police officer charged with the murder of an unarmed black motorist during a traffic stop took the stand in his own defense Tuesday, according to the Post and Courier. As previously reported on The Root, Michael Slager, 35, is on trial for the April 2015 shooting death of 50-year-old…
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#WalterScott: Prosecution Rests in Trial of SC Cop Charged With Murder
Prosecutors in the trial of a former white North Charleston, S.C., police officer charged with the murder of a black unarmed motorist rested their case on Wednesday. As previously reported on The Root, Michael Slager, 34, is on trial for the April 2015 shooting death of 50-year-old Walter Scott. Scott was running from a traffic…
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#WalterScott: Testimony in Cop's Trial for Murder Focused on Aftermath of Shooting
Testimony continued this week in the trial of a white former North Charleston, S.C., police officer charged with shooting and killing an unarmed black motorist. It focused on the moments immediately following the shooting and the investigation thereafter. As previously reported on The Root, Michael Slager, 34, is on trial for the April 2015 shooting…
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#WalterScott: Judge Denies Defense Motion to Suppress Video of Shooting
The judge in the murder trial of a white former North Charleston, S.C., police officer charged with shooting and killing an unarmed black motorist denied two defense motions Friday concerning cellphone video of the shooting. Michael Slager, 34, is charged with the April 2015 shooting death of Walter Scott, 50, who was running from a…
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#WalterScott: Michael Slager's Trial for Scott’s Murder Begins in Charleston, SC
The trial for a white former North Charleston, S.C., police officer charged with the murder of an unarmed black motorist began in a Charleston courtroom Thursday. Michael Slager, 34, is charged with the April 2015 murder of Walter Scott, 50. Slager shot Scott in the back five times as Scott ran from a traffic stop…