Dylann Roof and Michael Slager Both to Face Trial In Charleston In Coming Week
Within next seven days, Charleston, SC will simultaneously host two high-profile trials of white men who killed black people. The trials, especially that concerning a police shooting, could strain the historically sleepy sea-side city, which resisted violence in the aftermath of both events.The more controversial trial is that of Michael Slager, a former North Charleston police officer who is charged with the murder of William Scott. Scott fled from Slager during a routine traffic stop; Slager was captured on a cell phone camera, shooting Scott in the back five times, from a distance of twenty feet. Slager has claimed self-defense, saying Scott had tried to grab his taser. (Slager is white, and Scott was black.) Jury selection begins on Monday, Oct. 31.Recent court filings show that the pr...