Walter Scott’s family reaches $6.5 million settlement in SC

The family of an unarmed black man shot in the back by a white police officer will get a $6.5 million settlement from North Charleston in South Carolina, city officials said on Thursday.

“While nothing can replace having Walter in our lives, the City of North Charleston’s historic action ensures that he did not die in vain”, Scott’s brother Anthony said, noting the settlement will provide for Scott’s children.

“As a result of this tragedy, important issues have been discussed, not only in North Charleston, but around the country”, Mr Summey said. A bystander captured the shooting in a dramatic cellphone video that showed Slager firing at Scott’s back as Scott ran away.

Summey praised Scott’s family for calling for calm after the shooting and the uproar it caused. This is a very hard period for the Scott family.

City attorney Brady Hair tells the Post and Courier the settlement protects current and former city employees from being sued.

While that part of the legal process continues, the city of North Charleston faced the prospect of a drawn out and potentially expensive legal battle with Scott’s family.

“Governments are listening now and they are not tolerating this type of behavior”, Stewart said.

The city has taken many positive steps over the last several months including outfitting the police force with body cameras. Slager was not wearing one.

The decision was announced Thursday night at a meeting of the North Charleston County Council.

The $6.5 million settlement is the largest of this kind in the state of South Carolina. Slager has claimed in an interview with NBC that there had been a struggle in which Scott had tried to take the officer’s taser, and that Slager had no way of knowing Scott was unarmed. He says “Mr. Scott was trying just to get away from the Taser”. “Even though I think we handled it completely appropriately, it was still going to cost us”. There were no aggravating circumstances such as robbery or kidnapping, so the death penalty does not apply in the case, the prosecutor has said.

“From Day One, we have said, ‘When you’re wrong, you’re wrong, ‘ and there was no doubt in our mind that it was going to cost us”, Summey said.