© 2024 South Carolina Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Bystander who filmed Walter Scott shooting testifies at Slager Trial

Alexandra Olgin
/
South Carolina Public Radio
Santana demonstrating with prosecutor Bruce DuRant how WalterScott and Slager getting up from tussle.

 

The bystander who filmed the cell phone video of a North Charleston police officer shooting a fleeing motorist testified in court Friday, November 4, 2016. Michael Slager was fired shortly after the April 2015 shooting and is now on trial for murder.   

 
The bystander was 25 year-old Dominican Republic native Feidin Santana.  He was walking to work at a barber shop when he saw the officer chasing 50-year-old Walter Scott. He followed the men as they entered a grass lot and started recording. Shortly, after the shooting Santana says he talked to another officer near the scene.

 
“I witness what happened there as a way to let them know that what I saw was an abuse,” he said. “So I felt that way that person would know that I know something.”

 
Santana says he never saw Scott coming at the officer with a Taser, which is what Slager claimed in law enforcement interviews. Santana believes Slager saw him at the scene.

 
“I definitely saw him looking at me,” Santana said.  “He knows that I was there.”

 
Santana left the scene after talking to an officer, even though the officer requested he stay. Santana said he continued to work at the barber shop and talked to his friends about what he just saw. He testified at that point on Saturday morning he did not know if Scott was dead.

 
“I believe it wasn’t my job to go to the police because [they were] already there.”

 
He testified he started to feel afraid because he had video evidence of the shooting and searched for protection in the form of an attorney. He told both prosecutors and defense attorneys he frantically searched for a way to get in contact with Scott’s family once he found out Scott had died.

 
Santana’s and his friend and 44-year-old Assistant Principal at a North Charleston high school Tawayne Weems met with some of Scott’s family in the parking lot of restaurant on Sunday to show them the video.

 
Santana ended up transferring the video the Scott family later.  

 

Santana said he later traveled to New York City for media interviews and ended up receiving money for the video, but not before consulting with Scott’s family through his attorney.   

 
“I feel that would be disrespectful to the memory of Walter Scott,” Santana testified he told his attorney. “I say to him if family agree[s] I’m agree.”

 
The exact amount of money he made is unclear, but Santana said he signed a contract with a celebrity agent in Australia. He insisted the money was used to help his family back in the Dominican Republic. He admitted to using $8,000 in donations to purchase a car.

 
Defense Attorney Andy Savage pushed Santana on his claim that he had not had a history with the police.

 
He referenced one of Santana’s songs.

 
“It’s all war, trouble, police abuse. Those who must defend us are the worst criminals. who can I trust? Tell me.”

 
Santana defended himself said he writes what he feels in the moment,

 
“I’m not against any law enforcement,” he said. “I’m against police brutality.”

 
Savage pushed Santana on the time that Slager and Scott were out of his view. Santana said he followed the electric sound of a taser to relocate them. During cross examination by defense attorney Savage, he asked Santana if he was told that that sound is only audible when a stun gun fails to make the electrical connection. Santana said he didn’t remember.

 

Santana demonstrated with Deputy Solicitor Bruce DuRant how he saw Scott and Slager stand up after a ground struggle. Savage pushed him on the specifics of how the two men were touching as they stood up.

 
Court transcripts indicate Santana’s video was widely viewed by potential jurors. The document indicates out of 188 jurors set to show up on Monday, October 31, 2016 nine people said they hadn’t seen the video.  The court didn’t specify how many of the 12 jurors and 6 alternates have seen the video prior to the trial.

 

Clarence Habersham, formerly with the North Charleston Police Department was one of the first officers, other than Slager, to arrive on the scene.  

 
He testified he found Scott face down in the grass when he reached the scene. He said Scott was handcuffed and had four or five gunshot wounds. Habersham said he ripped off Scott’s shirt with a knife and tried to resuscitate him until emergency medical officials arrived.  

 
Habersham said when questioned by the defense that Slager was a professional officer.