Sharpton Expected to Preach, Attend Shooting Vigil in SC
The Rev. Al Sharpton is expected to appear Sunday in North Charleston and attend a vigil for Walter Scott, the black driver who was fatally shot by a white police officer after he fled a traffic stop.
Sharpton is expected to preach at Charity Missionary Baptist Church before attending a vigil near the scene of the shooting.
Scott was shot April 4 and former officer Michael Slager initially said he fired after a tussle over his department-issued Taser. Dramatic witness video showed that Slager fired eight times as Scott ran away. Slager was fired and has been charged with murder.
Scott was a father of four and Coast Guard veteran whose death sparked outrage as another instance of a white law officer fatally shooting an unarmed black man under questionable circumstances.
Scott was driving a 1991 Mercedes that he bought from a neighbor and was headed to an auto parts store when he was stopped, his brother Rodney Scott said.
Police said he had a broken tail light. Video from the police car's dashboard camera shows Slager asking Scott for his license and registration, then heading back to his cruiser before Scott gets out of the car and runs.
Scott's relatives have said they suspect he fled Slager out of fear of being jailed again over missed child support payments.
At the time he was stopped, Scott, who worked as a warehouse forklift operator, owed more than $18,000 in child support and court fees, according to Charleston County records.
About 450 people including U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., the two black members of South Carolina's congressional delegation, gathered in the sanctuary of W.O.R.D. Ministries Christian Center the church where Scott had worshipped for his funeral on Saturday.
Clyburn said he hoped some good could come from the tragedy.
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Sharpton Expected to Preach, Attend Shooting Vigil in SC