Breaking: Mistrial declared in case of South Carolina officer who shot Walter Scott after traffic stop

“We as the jury regret to inform the court that despite the best efforts of all members, we are unable to come to a unanimous decision,” the jury wrote in a note Circuit Court Judge Clifton Newman read aloud in the case.

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Newman declared a mistrial on Monday, shortly before 3:40 p.m., and thanked the jurors for their “hard work in trying to reach a unanimous verdict in this case.”

The deadlock came more than a year after Michael Slager, a white police officer, was charged with murder and fired after graphic video emerged showing him shooting Walter Scott, a black motorist, as the 50-year-old was running away.

This recording, captured by a bystander, spread quickly across news stations and the Internet, propelled into the public consciousness during a wave of scrutiny and protests nationwide focusing on how police use deadly force. Slager became the rare officer charged for an on-duty shooting, and the case continued to draw national attention as it stretched into December.

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