The family of Walter Scott, the black man shot in the back by a white Charleston police officer, will receive $6.5 million in one of the largest amounts in the state's history for similar cases.
The North Charleston City Council voted Thursday night to award the money, which City Attorney Brady Hair said was in line with national payouts, the
Charleston Post and Courier reported.
Scott, 50, was killed April 4 by officer Michael Slager, who has been indicted on murder charges. A widely distributed cell-phone video showed Slager shooting Scott in the back.
Unlike in other officer-involved shootings of black men around the country, Charleston saw no violence from Scott's death, although protests were held.
North Charleston Mayor R. Keith Summey told
USA Today that he appreciated Scott's family asking publicly for calm after the shooting, and said significant changes have been made in the city's law enforcement in response to Scott's death.
"We are very proud that we were able to settle a case of this magnitude without a brick being thrown, without a fire being set and without a lawsuit being filed,” the Post and Courier quoted Hair. "We agreed ... to try to resolve the case without a lawsuit. We had lots of open, honest, cordial discussions with them (the family). We didn’t agree on everything but it was a very unique way of handling the situation. We’ve never done it like this before. ... but we felt that if we could come to a resolution without a lawsuit being filed, without depositions and without press coverage of every step both sides made, that it would be healthier for both the family and the city."
Walter Scott's brother, Anthony Scott, told the Post and Courier, "Though nothing can replace having Walter in our lives, the city of North Charleston’s historic actions ensure that he did not die in vain. This city sent a message loud and clear that this kind of reckless behavior exhibited by members of law enforcement will not and shall not be tolerated."
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