CHARLESTON, S.C. – A South Carolina judge has delayed a fired police officer's murder retrial until August, but said it can be moved up again if federal prosecutors drop their civil rights case against him in the shooting of an unarmed black motorist.
Media outlets report Circuit Judge Clifton Newman ruled Tuesday that Michael Slager's state trial will now begin Aug. 28, not March 1.
That means Slager will next face a federal jury in May for allegedly violating Walter Scott's civil rights by shooting him repeatedly in the back as he tried to flee a traffic stop in North Charleston in April 2015.
Solicitor Scarlett Wilson shared a concern that under President Donald Trump, the Justice Department might drop its case against Slager and other officers around the country.
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