City officials in South Carolina approved a $6.5 million settlement Thursday with the family of an unarmed black man fatally shot by a white police officer who was captured on cellphone video firing at the man's back as he ran away.The city gets the case behind it. The family doesn't run the risk of a racist jury awarding them fifty bucks.
The North Charleston City Council approved the settlement by a 10-0 vote, and members of Walter Scott's family were on hand when it was announced.
Scott, 50, was shot April 4 by North Charleston officer Michael Slager while trying to run from a traffic stop. A bystander recorded the shooting in dramatic cellphone video.
Slager was indicted on a murder charge in June and a judge refused to set bond last month, saying his release would "constitute an unreasonable danger to the community."
I wonder if there will be charges brought against the other officers who were verifying the murderer's story, but I'm not holding my breath.
5 comments:
I've always believed that such awards should be limited to a reasonable estimate of how much the deceased would have earned over his lifetime, and a percentage subtracted for any of his own culpability (running from a lawful traffic stop, for example.)
Not saying that the police officer involved should not have been fired and/or criminally charged, but it doesn't automatically follow that the dead guy's family deserves to hit the lottery and become millionaires.
And who estimates how much a person is worth and decides if they would have been worth more in the future? Would we then incentivize suicidal rich teens to go get shot? Give the police a budget to shoot people this year? "Guys, please stop shooting people wearing nice clothes, our budget is running low."
Tell me, how do you put a value in a parent to a child? A child to a parent? A role model to a community? Why pigeonhole people, why not let the system work like this...both sides agreed to a reasonable value. You disagree, why? He was a petty criminal and ran, so for getting shot his family should get much money, eh? After all the evidence that out criminal justice system is skewed toward creating a record and incarcerating minorities, while giving whites a second (and third) chance! Lovely.
As a factor in product liability, sure. But a deliberate murder by a sworn peace officer? Who had fellow officers supporting his story?
I hope the PD uses Crown Vics with no AC until the money is made up. The shooter performed his act with the expectation his fellows would support him. This department has issues.
You're right. We cannot put a value on a human being. So that being the case, let's stop giving other people cash entirely when said human beings get killed. Money isn't going to bring him back, so why do they need a new flat-screen TV and/or a flashy car? Maybe send their kids to college if you really want to, but just giving a pail of money to the next of kin doesn't really accomplish anything in most cases.
Excellent Murphy, now you've absolved the police of any responsibility for their behavior. They can hire cretinous Neanderthal's and just fire as needed to show they are getting tough. Towns can make whatever decisions with no repercussions..."no tramps after sundown" sound familiar? What a facinating glimpse into right wing thinking.
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