COLUMBIA, S.C. – A former South Carolina police officer facing civil rights charges in the death of an unarmed black motorist will soon be in federal court.
Documents filed Friday show a March 17 pre-trial hearing is scheduled in Charleston for Michael Slager.
The former North Charleston officer's federal trial is set to begin in May. He's charged with violating Walter Scott's civil rights when he shot the man to death as Scott ran from a traffic stop in April 2015.
The hearing serves as a place for the court to hash out a battery of motions filed by Slager's attorneys, including a request to toss out statements he gave investigators and not show jurors video of the shooting.
State prosecutors have charged Slager with murder. His first trial ended in a hung jury.
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