Michael Slager, Former SC Cop Seen Killing Black Motorist On Video, Pleads Guilty

CHARLESTON, SC — Michael Slager, the former South Carolina police officer who was seen on video fatally shooting an unarmed black man running from a traffic stop in 2015, pleaded guilty to violating the man's civil rights, the Department of Justice said.

Slager was facing both federal civil rights and state murder charges and his plea Tuesday resolves both cases. As part of the plea, South Carolina prosecutors agreed to drop the murder charge, the Associated Press reported. The plea happened in federal court Tuesday where Slager was scheduled to appear. The Post and Courier noted that pleading guilty to the civil rights charge was a "sudden shift" as Slager had maintained the shooting was in self defense.

The paper also notes that Slager could face as little as no prison time to life in prison.

In December a 12-member jury failed to reach a verdict in Slager's murder trial. There was one holdout on the jury, which prevented it from reaching a consensus.

Slager was charged and fired from his job as an officer with the North Charleston Police Department after a video of the fatal shooting of 50-year-old Walter Scott surfaced in 2015.

The video shows Slager shooting Scott eight times. Slager claimed he used his Taser on Scott first. He also said on the police radio that Scott had taken his Taser, but the video shows Scott didn't have a Taser when he was shot and that Slager dropped his Taser next to Scott following the shooting.

Slager attended high school in South Jersey and worked there as a waiter before joining the military.

Anthony Bellano contributed reporting.

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