Bail Denied For Former Police Officer Who Shot And Killed Unarmed Black Man

Michael Slager stands with defense attorney Cameron Blazer in the Charleston County Courthouse on Friday. On Monday, a judge denied his request to be released on bail.

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On Monday, a judge in Charleston, S.C., denied bail to a white ex-police officer, Michael Slager, who is charged with murder in the April shooting death of an unarmed black man, Walter Scott.

Slager, 33, shot Scott, 50, in the back eight times as Scott ran away during a traffic stop. The shooting was filmed by a bystander.

Circuit Judge Clifton Newman said in his decision that releasing Slager would "constitute an unreasonable danger to the community."

The Associated Press reports:

"Prosecutor Scarlett Wilson on Thursday had called Slager 'a firing squad and executioner' and said he planted evidence, taking his Taser from where it fell and dropping it near Scott's body hundreds of feet away.

"Slager's attorneys argued that their client posed no threat to the public, filing 150 pages of documents ahead of the hearing. The documents included a toxicology report showing there was cocaine in Scott's blood when he was killed, as well as a psychological assessment that Slager poses little future danger of committing violence."