US white policeman charged over murder of unarmed fleeing black man

Washington, April 8: A white policeman in the US state of South Carolina was charged with murder after a video emerged of the culprit seen shooting and killing an unarmed black man who was running away, media reported on Wednesday.

The white police officer, Michael T. Slager was seen shooting and killing the victim Walter Scott (50) about eight times as he was running away from him, NewYork Times reported.

The culprit official was quoted as saying that he had feared for his life because the man had taken his stun gun in a scuffle after a traffic stop on Saturday.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the state's criminal investigative body, has launched an inquiry into the shooting. The F.B.I. and the Justice Department, which has opened a string of civil rights investigations into police departments is also investigating the case.

The shooting came on the heels of high-profile instances of police officers' using lethal force in New York, Cleveland, Ferguson and elsewhere. The deaths have set off a national debate over whether the police are too quick to use force, particularly in cases involving black men.

A number of killings of unarmed black men by police officers in recent months have sparked protests across the US with protesters alleging racism in the nation's police and raising accusations that officers use excessive force.

A grand jury declined to indict Ferguson, Missouri officer Darren Wilson over the fatal shooting of Michael Brown last August, leading to nationwide protests.

OneIndia News