The former South Carolina police officer who's been charged with murder for fatally shooting an unarmed black man was the subject of a previous excessive force complaint.
Michael Slager was arrested on Tuesday after video footage of him shooting 50-year-old Walter Scott at least eight times while Scott ran away surfaced. After being charged with murder and denied bond on Tuesday, the 33-year-old was terminated by the North Charleston Police Department yesterday. The Associated Press reports that this was not the first time Slager's allegedly abused his authority.
According to the Associated Press, Slager Tasered and yanked Mario Givens from his home prior to his August 2013 arrest:
He said he wanted to come in but didn't say why, said Givens, now 33. "He never said who he was looking for.
Then, without warning, Slager pushed in the door, he said.
Come outside or I'll tase you, he quoted the officer as saying, adding: I didn't want that to happen to me, so I raised my arms over my head, and when I did, he tased me in my stomach anyway.
Givens said the pain from the stun gun was so intense that he dropped to the floor and began calling for his mother, who also was in the home. At that point, he said another police officer came into the house and they dragged him outside and threw him to the ground. He was handcuffed and put in a squad car.
Though initially accused of resisting the officers, Givens was later released without charge.
It turns out that Slager was looking for Mario Givens' brother, Matthew, who's considerably shorter. Matthew Givens' ex-girlfriend, Maleah Kiara Brown, described Slager's demeanor as "cocky" during the incident:
It looked like he wanted to hurt him. There was no need to tase him. No reason. He was no threat - and we told him he had the wrong man."
Following Givens' complaint, Slager was exonerated. The Associated Press adds that a spokesman for the North Charleston Police Department said the incident will be reviewed to determine if that was the right decision.
[via Associated Press]
