The trial of officer Michael Slager (Walter Scott shooting) ended today with Officer Slager as the last witness testifying in his own defense.  The defense rests, and the case is now set for the jury deliberation phase.  The instructions to the jury will be critical…

SOUTH CAROLINA – Throughout the trial of Michael Slager, defense attorneys have asked the jury to consider the death of Walter Scott and the events that led to his shooting from the perspective of the former North Charleston officer. On Tuesday, after hearing from 17 witnesses for the defense, jurors were given the clearest image of what went through Slager’s mind on April 4, 2015, as he took the stand.

Since opening arguments, lead defense attorney Andy Savage has drawn comparisons between Slager and accused Emanuel AME Church shooter Dylann Roof in an apparent effort to highlight the severity of the murder charge leveled against Slager. As Slager took the stand Tuesday, Roof sat in a courthouse just across the street, opting to represent himself in the selection of the jury in the federal capital case.
In his final question for his client, Savage would ask Slager to recount his emotional state in the months following Scott’s shooting when he was confined to a jail cell next door to Roof. Over the course of his testimony, it was clear that Savage hoped to humanize Slager while convincing the jury that he performed to the best of his ability during his time as an officer.
Beginning with his account of the day of the shooting, Slager described it as just a normal Saturday morning. The day before Easter, Slager had planned to take a few days for the holiday to spend time with his family. Stopping Scott’s Mercedes-Benz for a non-functioning third brake light, Slager was seated in his vehicle when, after an initial warning, Scott fled the scene. According to Slager, he assumed that Scott “must have been running for another reason.”  (READ MORE)