It was a moment of awakening for many people when bystander video footage showed Walter Scott running from police and clearly being shot in the back. Unlike many instances of police shooting people of color before, this one was clearly caught on film.

Most of us imagined that the trial for Michael Slager, the former South Carolina officer who shot Scott in April 2015, would be open and shut. But that may not exactly be the case given its latest developments. 

The jury for the trial has been selected, but includes six white men, five white women and one black man, according to NBC News.

The defense reportedly struck 9 potential jurors from the pool, including seven who were people of color. The prosecution challenged this motion and even accused the defense of targeting jurors based on race, but this wasn’t upheld after the defense pointed out detailed reasons for the rejections.

Andy Savage, who is Slager’s defense attorney for the trial, has claimed that the video shown by the media only shows a portion of the incident and doesn’t include a fight between the officer and Scott moment before.

Regardless, it’s clear that Scott was shot in the back while running away, which will hopefully lead to a speedy trial with few to no hiccups.

 

Photo: Charleston County Sheriff’s Office