A jury has been chosen in the case of a former South Carolina cop charged with murder.
The jury panel has one black man, six white males and five white females. Those 12 will decide whether ex-cop Michael Slager, who is white, murdered 50-year-old Walter Scott, who is black. Slager fired repeatedly at Scott as he ran away following a traffic stop. The April 2015 shooting was captured on cell phone video. Slager was fired from the North Charleston Police Department.
It took attorneys three days to choose the final jury.
After the jury panel was chosen prosecutors filed a Batson challengeasserting that a number of potential jurors were rejected based on race, ethnicity or sex. Slager’s defense attorneys were able to provide reasons for each strike and the challenge was dropped.
Attorneys started Monday, October 31, 2016 with a pool of 188 jurors. Originally close to 600 were summoned for the trial.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, American Civil Liberties Union, Charleston Area Justice Ministry and Community Resource Center released a joint statement after the jury was selected Wednesday. The groups feel the jury is unrepresentative of the county population which is about 30 percent black.
“As the trial proceeds, however, we will not lose sight of the fact that the interaction between former officer Slager and Mr. Scott that fateful day was not an isolated incident in North Charleston, SC or elsewhere in our country. Residents have complained of excessive use-of-force and biased policing in North Charleston for decades.”
Attorney for the Scott family, L. Chris Stewart said having one black juror and 11 white ones doesn’t worry him.
“The family isn’t [worried] at all,” he said. “The only thing you need in this case is everything that those [jurors] have two eyes and a brain. It doesn’t matter what color they are.”
Stewart said this is the only time the family will address the media because they want to let the case play out in court.
If convicted Slager faces a prison sentence of 30 years to life. Slager also faces civil rights charges in federal court. That trial, taking place in Charleston, isn’t set to start until next year.