In South Carolina, a state trooper pulled over a man for a seat belt violation. The man got out of the car, as he was heading to a gas station, when the trooper confronted him. The man ducked his head into his car to get his license and the officer opened fire. The man leapt backwards, shot in the hip, hands up, apologizing.
The victim is black. Fortunately, he's fine. The trooper is white. This is a story we've seen before.
Here's the twist.
The shooting took place on September 19th. Today, 9/24, the officer was arrested on a charge of "assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature." He was also fired.
Here's a report on the initial shooting and the arrest, and here's a link to dashcam video.
We give police enormous powers, but they can be held accountable. Now, the officer may not be found guilty, but I applaud the Department of Public Safety and the DA for doing the right thing.
