Michael Slager, Ex-Cop Charged In Walter Scott’s Murder, Released On Bail

The former North Charleston police officer who was captured on video shooting a black motorist as the unarmed man ran from him was released from jail Monday after a judge said he was distressed by a delay in a officer’s trial.

Under the conditions of his bond, which a judge set at $500,000 on Monday, Slager must reside in SC until his trial.

Slager’s lawyer renewed the request for bail after a trial date was set for October 31. His trial has been pushed back to give precedence to the trial of Dylann Roof, the self-proclaimed White supremacist who shot and killed nine parishioners at a historic Black church due to their skin color.

During the hearing, Walter Scott Sr. told the court he thought Slager should not be released because he is a threat to the community and himself. The Associated Press said that for now Mr Slager remained in custody and it was not immediately clear when he would be released.

Online records from the Charleston County jail show Michael Slager was released at 5:23 p.m. Monday, about an hour after a judge allowed him to be let out of jail on a $500,000 surety bond.

In the wake of the bail decision, Scott family attorney Justin Bamberg urged the public to “just be peaceful”.

In September, a judge denied Slager bond after prosecutors argued he was a danger to the community and a flight risk. She said a state Supreme Court order prevents her from trying other cases before that one. “All I can look at is a pot of flowers”, Scott said.

“It’s unclear if they are going to get involved”, she said.

The 34-year-old former officer originally pulled over Scott for a broken brake light and when Slager headed back to his police vehicle, Scott fled the scene.

Meanwhile, Slager’s pretrial confinement could affect a sort of punishment on the former officer even while he is presumed innocent, the judge said. That ruling came after Savage and the lead prosecutor, 9th Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson, made impassioned pleas for and against his release. According to the Post and Courier, this was not the speedy trial requested by Slager’s attorneys.

Savage also asked what would happen if Roof took a plea deal before his trial date, wondering if Slager’s trial date would move up in response to a tidy conclusion to that high profile case.

Michael Slager is charged with murder in the shooting death of Walter Scott.