Racism denounced at funeral for S.C. man shot by officer

Hundreds of mourners gathered Saturday for the funeral of Walter L. Scott, the black man whose killing by a white police officer was captured on video, instantly catapulting a once anonymous forklift operator and father of four into the nation’s debate about excessive use of force by the police.

The pastor at WORD Ministries Christian Center, where Scott worshiped, minced no words, telling the standing-room-only crowd that Scott had died because he was black. The pastor, the Rev. George D. Hamilton, stressed that most law enforcement officers serve honorably, but he urged the members of South Carolina’s congressional delegation who attended the funeral to take up the issue of police killings in Washington so that African-Americans “don’t have to be scared every time they get pulled over.”

“There is no doubt in my mind,” Hamilton said. “I feel Walter’s death was motivated by racial prejudice.”

Scott, 50, died April 4 after Michael T. Slager, a North Charleston police officer with five years’ experience, pulled him over because of a broken taillight. When the officer went to his patrol car, presumably to run the driver’s name through his computer and process a traffic citation, Scott left his vehicle and started running, a police dashboard video showed.

Another video, taken seconds later by a bystander, shows a brief encounter between the two men, and then Scott trying to get away. The officer, 33, fired eight times at Scott as he fled, hitting him five times in the back. The bystander’s video showed Slager later dropping something alongside Scott’s body, and many viewers have speculated that the object was the officer’s Taser gun. Initial police reports said Slager had told investigators that he chased down Scott on foot and then feared for his safety after the man tried to seize the Taser gun.

Hamilton said that the killing of Scott was an act of hatred, born of racism.

“This hate could not be because this person knew Walter. The hate was because Walter was African-American,” Hamilton said. “No one just empties a clip into a man’s back.”

He called Slager “a disgrace to the North Charleston Police Department” and an embarrassment to other officers.

“We will not indict the entire law enforcement community for the act of an individual racist,” Hamilton said. “Honest cops live to serve with distinction. We thank God for them. This particular cop was a racist.”

On Tuesday, the same day the bystander’s video became public, Slager was fired and arrested on a charge of murder. He was being held at Charleston County’s jail on Saturday without bond.

“I can’t fathom that Michael would ever do anything to hurt anybody purposely,” the officer’s mother, Karen Sharpe, said in an interview Friday. “He enjoyed his job. He liked being a police officer.”

The pastor’s remarks set a surprising tone after several days of an atmosphere of calm and forgiveness set by Scott’s family. Scott’s younger brother said his sibling’s death would serve a purpose.

“My brother’s death was the catalyst for change in America,” Rodney Scott said.

Scott’s parents, Walter and Judy, did not speak to reporters Saturday, but a lawyer for the family, L. Chris Stewart, said they believed Scott’s legacy was already secure.

“Their son is going to be remembered for changing the way that we look at each other,” Stewart said. “Because next time something does happen to an individual, be he African-American, you will now think maybe there is another side to the story, maybe the police report needs to be looked into. And if that’s what Walter Scott died to prove, then I can tell you the family is just fine with that, because his legacy is going to live on.”

Rep. James E. Clyburn, D-S.C., attended the funeral and said he was not surprised by Hamilton’s strong sermon.

“This is an issue that has caused so much pain and grief,” Clyburn said. “I think it would be hypocritical of him not to speak to it head-on.”

The mourners included at least two other members of South Carolina’s congressional delegation, both Republicans: Sen. Tim Scott and Rep. Mark Sanford, a former governor, who serves the district that includes North Charleston. The county sheriff attended the service, as did at least four members of the State Legislature.

Sanford called it a “beautiful, spirit-filled service,” and said Congress would address the issues raised by the shooting.

“We'll come back to legislative remedies,” Sanford said after the service.

So many people showed up for the funeral that many mourners had to stay outside in the rain. Before Scott’s coffin, covered with a flag, was brought into the sanctuary, at least 500 people had gathered outside.

Some of the people who paid their respects said they had not known Scott, a Coast Guard veteran and a born-again Christian who studied massage therapy, but who had child support debts that may have led him to run from the police.

“There’s something inside of you that makes you want to be there for his family; you’re feeling what they are feeling,” said Stella King, a North Charleston resident who attended with her three adult daughters and a grandson. “They’re always saying how black people don’t care about each other. Well, in times like these, they see we really do.”

This story was originally published April 10, 2015 at 8:00 PM with the headline "Racism denounced at funeral for S.C. man shot by officer."