In the five days since North Charleston Police Officer Michael Slager allegedly fatally shot Walter Scott in South Carolina, information provided by civilians and authorities has clarified some questions about the incident. But there are still several unknown facts.
RELATED: What we don’t know in the SC shooting
Immediately following the tragedy, police originally said the shooting occurred because Slager, who is white, feared for his life. Here’s what we know so far:
1. A North Charleston police incident report says the confrontation on Saturday morning between Slager and Scott, who is black, began after the officer pulled over the man in the area of Craig and Remount roads in North Charleston. Scott apparently was driving with a broken tail-light.
2. At some point after that, Scott ran away and Slager chased him on foot, according to the report.
3. The chase ended in a confrontation when Slager fired his Taser at Scott, the report says. But the shot didn’t stop Scott.
4. At 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, Slager reported on his radio: “Shots fired and the subject is down. He took my Taser,” according to the report.
5. A bystander, Feidin Santana, recorded the event on his cellphone as it unfolded and later gave the video to Scott’s family. The footage, which The New York Times published on Tuesday, appears to show Slager, 33, firing shots at Scott, 50, as the man attempted to flee the scene. Scott, who appeared unarmed, fell to the ground in the video. Slager then put handcuffs on Scott.
6. The video surfaced Tuesday, and a day later, Santana spoke to msnbc about the events he saw. The cellphone footage shows the two men tussling before Scott runs away. Slager then fires eight shots at Scott. At the last shot, Scott falls to the ground, as the video shows. Slager then appears running back to the site of the tussle, picking up something from the ground, and dropping it near Scott’s body. The video also shows Slager and another officer who arrived at the scene not performing first aid on Scott as he remained on the ground. It is not clear whether they did so after the video ended.
7. Slager’s attorney, David Aylor, noted that the officer had “no disciplinary issues” during his time with the department. Later on Tuesday, Aylor said he was no longer representing Slager. Andy Savage, a high-profile Charleston defense attorney, announced Wednesday he’s now representing Slager. A spokesman for the city of North Charleston told msnbc on Thursday that it’s not paying for Slager’s defense.
8. The North Charleston police immediately turned the investigation of the shooting over to the state’s criminal investigation division.
9. The U.S. Justice Department and FBI have opened a civil rights investigation into the shooting.
10. State investigators interviewed Slager on Tuesday.
11. By Wednesday, Slager had been arrested, charged with murder, and fired from his job. He remains in jail without bond.
12. Santana told msnbc on Thursday that he didn’t see the officers trying to resuscitate Scott. Speaking on “Morning Joe,” Santana said he only witnessed the officers taking Scott’s pulse and lifting up his shirt, as if to check for wounds. “I don’t know if they did it after I left, but I never saw that,” he added.
13. Scott’s brothers have said they believe he ran from Slager because he didn’t want to be jailed for unpaid child support.
14. NBC News has reported that Slager was a Coast Guard veteran who previously was exonerated from a separate complaint about improper use of force. The officer — who has two stepchildren and a baby on the way — had two complaints lodged against him in five years with South Carolina’s North Charleston Police Department.
15. NBC also reported that documents released by the force show that one complaint in January 2015 involving failure to file a police report was sustained — though it was unclear what disciplinary action Slager faced, if any.
16. Dashboard camera footage from Slager’s patrol car was turned over to the state.
17. North Charleston is approximately 47% black, but around 80% of its police force is white.
Zachary Roth
Michele Richinick