It’s a question of murder, firstly. If you watch the video, there is a struggle. If Slager pulls his weapon and fires as an immediate extension of that struggle, regardless of the guy running away *just then*, it’s more of a manslaughter act due to the fact that Slager is in the heat of the moment due to a very serious assault.
Second, there are circumstances where cops can shoot a fleeing suspect in the back if they feel the suspect poses significant deadly risk to the public. Given the limited knowledge Slager had of the suspect, which may wholly consist of, “I pulled this guy over for a traffic stop, he fled, then attacked me, took my taser and tried to shoot me with it...”
Who does that except extremely dangerous people?
Second, there are circumstances where cops can shoot a fleeing suspect in the back if they feel the suspect poses significant deadly risk to the public.
...
Risk of “serious physical injury” is the standard set by the courts. It doesn’t have to be deadly.
But I'm amazed at the numbers of people on this forum (and other conservatives) who are ready to throw Slager to the wolves before examining all the evidence and circumstances.
The facts are the suspect did not surrender peacefully. He engaged in a struggle with the cop, took his weapon, and looks like tasered him. It's certainly not a case where the cop just walked up to the guy and shot him. White or black (and they're making this a national case because of color), if I assault a cop, I shouldn't be surprised if I get shot.
Who does that?
People who are afraid of cops who are threatening them.
An outstanding warrant for child support is not a shooting offense. My guess is the cop was being a jerk.
The guy was not just stepping away, he was easily 100 feet from the cop. Then the cop moves the taser and drops it at the victims feet.
The cop is a douche who should be tossed into the general population of the prison.