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| Walter Scott murder case ends in mistrial for former officer | Walter Scott murder case ends in mistrial for former officer |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The case of a South Carolina police officer who was accused of murdering a fleeing black motorist by shooting him dead has ended in a mistrial. | The case of a South Carolina police officer who was accused of murdering a fleeing black motorist by shooting him dead has ended in a mistrial. |
| Jurors could not reach a verdict after four days of deliberations in the case against former North Charleston patrolman Michael Slager, 35. | Jurors could not reach a verdict after four days of deliberations in the case against former North Charleston patrolman Michael Slager, 35. |
| A bystander filmed the officer opening fire on 50-year-old Walter Scott after he fled an April 2015 traffic stop. | A bystander filmed the officer opening fire on 50-year-old Walter Scott after he fled an April 2015 traffic stop. |
| The jury of 11 white people and a black man heard four weeks of testimony. | The jury of 11 white people and a black man heard four weeks of testimony. |
| The case gained national attention after video emerged appearing to show the moment Mr Slager fatally shot Mr Scott as he fled the scene. | |
| Mr Scott was shot five times in the back after he tried to run from a traffic stop for a broken tail light. | |
| Mr Slager was fired from the police force after the shooting. | |
| He has pleaded not guilty to murder, but jurors were also allowed to consider a voluntary manslaughter charge against him as the trial came to a close last week. | |
| The jury announced on Friday they were unable to reach a unanimous verdict, but a judge sent them back to continue deliberations. | |
| One of the jurors wrote Judge Clifton Newman a letter saying he could not "in good conscience approve a guilty verdict" and would not change his mind. | |
| On Monday, a note from the jury said "the majority" of jurors were still undecided. | |
| The panel also submitted a number of questions, including why voluntary manslaughter was added as a possible verdict and whether the definition of self-defence is different for police than for civilians. | |
| Mr Slager had testified that he feared for his life during the encounter. | |
| The former police officer would have faced 30 years to life in prison on a murder charge while manslaughter carries a sentence of two to 30 years behind bars. |