Michael Slager, the former police officer charged with killing Walter Scott on video in North Charleston, S.C., was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison earlier today.
According to CNN, Slager pleaded guilty in May to violation of civil rights by acting under the color of law in Scott’s 2015 killing.
Slager had stopped Scott for a broken tail light on April 4, 2015. But Scott fled on foot, likely because he feared getting arrested for unpaid child support, his family has said. A video tape, which sent shock waves around the world, shows Slager pulling out his gun and shooting Scott multiple times in the back. It was recorded by a bystander on his mobile phone. Slager had claimed that Scott attempted to grab his stun gun during a struggle and he feared for his life before shooting the unarmed man.