South Carolina Shooting: Officer Captured on Video Fired

A white police officer who was captured on video shooting a fleeing black man to death has been fired, the mayor of this city, Keith Summey, said in a news conference Wednesday.

Mr. Summey also announced that he had signed an executive order for the city to add an additional 150 police body cameras for city officers, on top of 101 that had been previously planned.

The announcements came as protesters packed the North Charleston City Council chambers to declare their frustration over the Saturday shooting of Walter Scott, a black man, by officer Michael Slager following a traffic stop. Mr. Slager, 33 years old, was charged with murder on Tuesday after a bystander’s video emerged showing that he fired multiple rounds as Mr. Scott was running away.

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While Mr. Slager is “terminated and gone” from the police force, Mr. Summey said the city would cover health insurance for his wife, who is eight months pregnant, until she delivers the baby. “That is the humane thing for us to do,” he said.

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Mr. Driggers also said he did not know whether a stun gun was placed at Mr. Scott’s side after he was shot. The video appeared to show the officer dropping something near Mr. Scott after the shooting.

“There are questions that I have in my mind that I can’t answer right now,” he said, adding that “I have watched the video and I was sickened by what I saw.”

Mr. Summey said he and Chief Driggers visited the Scott family Wednesday morning.

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