Case Studies
Case Study 1- the shooting of Walter Scott
Walter Scott was a 50-year old African father of 4 children living in North Charleston, South Carolina, in the U.S.A. He was a forklift operator and on the side studied massage therapy.
Michael Slager was a white police officer who had been serving in his department for five years and five months prior to the shooting. Slager is not new to changing the police system. In 2013, he was named in a police complaint after he allegedly tasered a man for no reason. He was cleared of the incident, although the victim and several witnesses said they were never interviewed. North Charleston Police stated that this case would now be reviewed. In another complaint in January 2015, he was cited for failing to file a report after an African-American woman called police because her children were being harassed.
On the 4th of April, 2015, Walter Scott was stopped by a white police officer (Michael Slager) for a non-functioning third brake light. Scott was actually on the way to a auto parts store as he had just purchased the car off his neighbour. Whilst Slager went back to his vehicle to document paperwork, Scott found the perfect opportunity to flee the car and the scene.
In the moment, Slager then fired his taser at Scott and scott was hit at least once. Scott then fled again and this caused the policeman to draw his handgun and fired eight rounds at Walter Scott from behind. The lawyer had told Scott’s family that he had been shot 5 times. He was shot three times in the back, once in the upper buttocks and once in the ear.
After the shooting, examinations of Scott’s police record indicated ten arrests, mostly for contempt of court regarding failure to pay child support or to appear for court hearings. These could have been reasons as to why Scott fled the scene when he got pulled over.
After the police report was filed, a contradicting video of the shooting surfaced. After Police had reviewed the video, Slager was arrested on the 7th of April with first degree murder. He faces a sentence of 30 years to life in prison or the death penalty.
Scott leaves behind his Fiancee, who he got engaged to weeks before the shooting, and Slager is away from his pregnant wife.
A bill in the South Carolina state house, designed to equip more police officers with body cameras, was renamed for Walter Scott. The Senate has set aside US $3.4 million to fund it, but that is only enough money to purchase 2000 cameras for Southern Carolina officers.
Case study 2- Texas Police Officer on leave after pool incident
A police officer from Dallas has been placed on administrative leave after a video was posted online showing him pushing a girl aged 14 to the ground and pointing a gun at other teens.
McKinney Police Chief Greg Conley said at a conference, that the incident began when officers responded to a report of a disturbance involving a group of African youths at a neighbourhood pool party.
The police stated in an official statement, that the youths were not from the area and were not granted permission to be at the pool party.
When officers arrived, residents and private security pointed out the juveniles who were ‘creating the disturbance, fighting and refusing to leave,’ Conley said.
The video that had surfaced showed the police officer pulling the African girl in her swimsuit to the ground then pinning her to the ground. He was then shown to be pointing his gun at other teens and cursing.
Some witnesses told the Dallas Morning News that the police targeted black kids at the pool party.
This incident has caused major controversy across the U.S as this is another occurrence of racial discrimination that seems to keep occurring across America.
The police statement said the video "has raised concerns that are being investigated" by the department. The officer is on leave pending the outcome, Conley said. Conley said he did not have information about how long the officer has been with the force.
The actions depicted in the video that surfaced have caused a major controversy and have caused a major investigation on the exact events that occurred at the pool party.
Case Study 1- the shooting of Walter Scott
Walter Scott was a 50-year old African father of 4 children living in North Charleston, South Carolina, in the U.S.A. He was a forklift operator and on the side studied massage therapy.
Michael Slager was a white police officer who had been serving in his department for five years and five months prior to the shooting. Slager is not new to changing the police system. In 2013, he was named in a police complaint after he allegedly tasered a man for no reason. He was cleared of the incident, although the victim and several witnesses said they were never interviewed. North Charleston Police stated that this case would now be reviewed. In another complaint in January 2015, he was cited for failing to file a report after an African-American woman called police because her children were being harassed.
On the 4th of April, 2015, Walter Scott was stopped by a white police officer (Michael Slager) for a non-functioning third brake light. Scott was actually on the way to a auto parts store as he had just purchased the car off his neighbour. Whilst Slager went back to his vehicle to document paperwork, Scott found the perfect opportunity to flee the car and the scene.
In the moment, Slager then fired his taser at Scott and scott was hit at least once. Scott then fled again and this caused the policeman to draw his handgun and fired eight rounds at Walter Scott from behind. The lawyer had told Scott’s family that he had been shot 5 times. He was shot three times in the back, once in the upper buttocks and once in the ear.
After the shooting, examinations of Scott’s police record indicated ten arrests, mostly for contempt of court regarding failure to pay child support or to appear for court hearings. These could have been reasons as to why Scott fled the scene when he got pulled over.
After the police report was filed, a contradicting video of the shooting surfaced. After Police had reviewed the video, Slager was arrested on the 7th of April with first degree murder. He faces a sentence of 30 years to life in prison or the death penalty.
Scott leaves behind his Fiancee, who he got engaged to weeks before the shooting, and Slager is away from his pregnant wife.
A bill in the South Carolina state house, designed to equip more police officers with body cameras, was renamed for Walter Scott. The Senate has set aside US $3.4 million to fund it, but that is only enough money to purchase 2000 cameras for Southern Carolina officers.
Case study 2- Texas Police Officer on leave after pool incident
A police officer from Dallas has been placed on administrative leave after a video was posted online showing him pushing a girl aged 14 to the ground and pointing a gun at other teens.
McKinney Police Chief Greg Conley said at a conference, that the incident began when officers responded to a report of a disturbance involving a group of African youths at a neighbourhood pool party.
The police stated in an official statement, that the youths were not from the area and were not granted permission to be at the pool party.
When officers arrived, residents and private security pointed out the juveniles who were ‘creating the disturbance, fighting and refusing to leave,’ Conley said.
The video that had surfaced showed the police officer pulling the African girl in her swimsuit to the ground then pinning her to the ground. He was then shown to be pointing his gun at other teens and cursing.
Some witnesses told the Dallas Morning News that the police targeted black kids at the pool party.
This incident has caused major controversy across the U.S as this is another occurrence of racial discrimination that seems to keep occurring across America.
The police statement said the video "has raised concerns that are being investigated" by the department. The officer is on leave pending the outcome, Conley said. Conley said he did not have information about how long the officer has been with the force.
The actions depicted in the video that surfaced have caused a major controversy and have caused a major investigation on the exact events that occurred at the pool party.