Image via New York Times
VICE News is closely watching policing in America. Check out the Officer Involved blog here.A white South Carolina police officer faces murder charges in the shooting death of an unarmed black man who fled during a traffic stop, according to local authorities.North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey announced Tuesday that city police officer Michael Slager has been charged with murder over the incident, which occurred Saturday, April 4.Slager initially pulled 50-year-old Walter Scott over for a broken taillight. According to the New York Times, Scott attempted to flee and Slager followed him to a nearby lot. The officer reportedly fired his Taser but it had no effect on Scott.Related: Video surfaces of NJ police allowing dog to maul man shortly before his death
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Footage obtained by the Times and Charleston's Post and Courier shows Scott running away from Slager and collapsing after the officer fires eight shots. Slager said he feared for his life after Scott took his stun gun, the Times reported, but the video appears to show Slager dropping an item — possibly the Taser — near Scott's body after the shooting."Shots fired and the subject is down. He took my Taser," Slager reported on his radio, according to police reports cited by the Times.The video footage was apparently recorded by a bystander on the opposite side of a fence from where the shooting occurred.The FBI and Department of Justice are reportedly investigating the shooting, in addition to a separate inquiry being conducted by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.Follow VICE News on Twitter: @vicenews