Mistrial declared in Police Officer Michael Slager's murder trial for shooting in the back of 50-year-old Walter Scott in North Charleston

Judge declares Mistrial in Michael Slager trial

Story by AP News
Video by NBC News

A South Carolina judge declared a mistrial Monday after a jury deadlocked in the murder trial of a white, former police officer charged in the shooting death of an unarmed black motorist.

A panel of one black and eleven white jurors — who had seemed close to a verdict to convict on Friday, with apparently only one holdout — said Monday they were unable to reach a unanimous decision after deliberating more than 22 hours over four days.

"We as a jury regret to inform the court that despite the best efforts of all parties we are unable to come to a unanimous decision," said Circuit Judge Clifton Newman, reading a note from the jury before declaring a mistrial.

Former patrolman Michael Slager was charged with murder in the April 4, 2015 shooting death of 50-year-old Walter Scott. The judge had said the jury could also consider a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter.

Cellphone video showing taken by a bystander that showed Scott being shot in the back eight times, hit five times, was shown widely in the media and on the internet and shocked the country, inflaming the national debate about how blacks are treated by law enforcement officers.


Michael Slager in court (SOURCE: AP/Pool)

After the video went public, Slager was fired by the police department and charged with murder. Scott's family called for peace in the North Charleston community. Their calls for calm are believed to have helped prevent the kind of violence that erupted elsewhere when black men were killed in encounters with law enforcement.

It's the second time in recent weeks a jury has deadlocked in an officer-involved shooting. A mistrial was declared Nov. 12 when a jury in Cincinnati couldn't reach a verdict in the case of a former campus police officer who was also charged with shooting a black motorist.

The video in the Scott slaying renewed debate over how blacks are treated by white law officers. There have been similar debates over race and policing in places from New York to Ferguson, Missouri and from Tulsa, Oklahoma to North Carolina.

Slager's wife, Jamie, cried after the jurors were dismissed and briefly put her head on the bench in front of her. She said "thank you for everything" to the defense lawyers as they left the courtroom. She did not respond when reporters asked if she wanted to comment.

One female juror wiped away tears with her hands and a tissue as the attorneys addressed them and thanked them for their hours of work.

There were no outbursts in the courtroom, and Scott family attorney Justin Bamberg said no one from the family wanted to speak for now.

Slager also faces trial next year in federal court on charges of depriving Scott of his civil rights.

While Slager is white and Scott was black, the video, not the races of the men, dominated the trial.

Scott was pulled in North Charleston for having a broken tail-light on his 1990 Mercedes and then fled the car, running into a vacant lot. Family members have said he may have run because he was worried about going to jail because he was $18,000 behind on child support.

The prosecution argued that the 35-year-old Slager let his sense of authority get the better of him.

The defense maintained that the two men wrestled on the ground, that Scott got control of Slager's stun gun and then pointed the weapon at the 35-year-old officer before the shooting. The defense also contended there was no way the officer could tell if Scott was unarmed.

Much of the testimony centered on the cellphone video, which at times was blurry and shaky. The jurors saw it video numerous times, including several times frame by frame.

The defense contended that there was much more to the case than the brief video clip that was seen worldwide.

They focused their case on the seconds before the shooting that were not captured on the cellphone video, which was taken by a barber who passed the scene walking to work.

Slager took the stand and testified that Scott wrestled with him and grabbed his Taser and came at him with it. He said he was in "total fear" at the time he fired his gun.

"At that point I pulled my firearm and pulled the trigger," he testified. "I fired until the threat was stopped as I was trained to do."

Slager, who was five-year veteran of the department, also expressed regret over the whole incident.

"My family has been destroyed by it. The Scott family has been destroyed by it. It's horrible," he said.

Last year, the city of North Charleston reached a $6.5 million civil settlement with Scott's family. In the wake of the shooting, the city also asked that the U.S. Justice Department conduct a review of its police department policies with an eye toward how the department can improve its relationship with residents.
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Today's AP Top News timetable from Charleston, S.C. below (Times local):
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3:40 p.m.

A mistrial has been declared in the trial of a South Carolina police officer charged with murder in the death of a black motorist.

Circuit Judge Clifton Newman declared the mistrial after a jury said today that it was unable to unanimously agree on a verdict for Michael Slager.

The judge had told jurors they could also consider a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter.

Slager was standing trial for shooting 50-year-old Walter Scott to death in North Charleston after stopping him for having a broken taillight. Cellphone video taken by a bystander of the shooting was shown widely in the media and on the internet and sparked national outrage.

Race was never made a major issue at trial, even though Slager is white and Scott was black.

Jurors had deliberated more than 22 hours over four days.
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10:45 a.m.

A majority of the jurors in the Michael Slager murder trial in South Carolina are undecided about a verdict in the case. The jury provided the court a note to that effect on Monday morning.

The note also asked a number of questions of the court, including why was voluntary manslaughter added as a charge, how long must someone have malice in their mind toward someone to be convicted of murder. Jurors also asked whether the definition of self-defense for a police officer is different that for the average person.

The jury has now deliberated more than 17 hours over four days in the trial on whether to acquit Slager or find him guilty of murder or voluntary manslaughter in the shooting death of 50-year-old Walter Scott. Slager is a former North Charleston police officer.

On Friday, it appeared that the stalemate involved only one juror. But Monday's note said that a majority of the jurors on the panel of 11 whites and one black were still undecided.
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9:30 a.m.

Jurors have resumed deliberations in the Michael Slager murder trial in South Carolina. He's the white fired policeman charged in the shooting death of an unarmed black motorist fleeing a traffic stop, a shooting captured on dramatic cellphone video.

Deliberations have entered a fourth day in the case and the jury is considering whether to acquit Slager, find him guilty of murder or convict him of voluntary manslaughter in the shooting death of 50-year-old Walter Scott.

On Friday, the jury told Circuit Judge Clifton Newman on two separate occasions they were deadlocked but then the jury foreman said he thought the jurors could reach a verdict.

The jurors were expected to have some questions Monday morning but did not come to the courtroom and instead stayed in the jury room deliberating. They have now discussed the case for more than 16 hours.
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2:45 a.m.

Jurors deciding the fate of fired South Carolina patrolman accused of murder in the death of a black motorist are expected to have questions for the judge Monday morning before their deliberations resume.

The jury of 11 whites and one black has already discussed the case for 16 hours without reaching a verdict and late Friday appeared to be deadlock before the foreman said he thought they could reach a unanimous verdict.

Michael Slager is charged in the shooting death last year of 50-year-old Walter Scott who was shot fleeing a traffic stop in North Charleston. The shooting was captured on cellphone video that was seen widely.

Circuit Judge Clifton Newman hasn't said what questions jurors have for him before they can continue their discussions.