Emotional testimony expected as ex-officer's sentencing ends
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — For three days, attorneys representing the federal government and a former South Carolina officer charged in an unarmed black motorist's shooting death have presented technical testimony to a judge to consider how much time Michael Slager should spend in federal prison.
That includes use of Slager's stun gun, which the former officer says Walter Scott grabbed and turned on him, causing Slager, who is white, to fear for his life and shoot in self-defense, firing five times into his back as he ran away.
On Thursday, attorneys are expected to call friends and relatives of both men who will tell the judge the effect Scott's death and the officer's arrest have had on their lives.