After the heavily publicized deaths of Tamir Rice and Sandra Bland failed to produce any criminal indictments, the officer who fatally shot Walter Scott has been released on a $500, 000 bail set by a South Carolina judge.
Michael Slager was charged with murder after footage showed him shooting Scott, who was running away from the former police officer, in the back. He was taken into custody in April 2015 and placed in solitary confinement for his well-being. Per the Charleston Post and Courier, Slager’s attorney Andy Savage argued for his release due to complications from celiac disease stemming from gluten in the jail's food, and the judge granted that request.
According to CNN, he must remain in South Carolina under house arrest until his trial on Oct. 31. He’s also not allowed to have any contact with Scott’s family.
On April 4, 2015, Scott was pulled over for a broken brake light and Slager said he tried to grab his stun gun. Witnesses recorded a short scuffle between the two, as well as the fatal shots to the back. The footage garnered national attention and added more steam behind the Black Lives Matter movement. Slager was later fired from his job.
