The police officer who fatally shot South Carolinian Walter Scott radioed colleagues six seconds later and claimed Scott had “grabbed my Taser.” A video taken by a witness suggests the unarmed man did not possess the stun gun at any point.

The Guardian analyzed the evidence. Its report begins:

Syncing police scanner audio with a shocking video – the eyewitness footage out of South Carolina which led to officer Michael Slager being charged with murder – raises further questions about whether either of two officers on the video performed any CPR on Scott as was previously claimed by police.

Analysis of the police radio shows Slager, the officer who shot at Scott eight times, making the radio call announcing the shots and alleging the Taser seizure, sounding frantic and breathless at the same time as he walks slowly towards Scott’s body.

“Shots fired. Subject is down. He grabbed my Taser,” the scanner audio from Slager states.

Continue reading here and listen to Officer Slager’s audio dispatch from the shooting below.

— Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly.

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