“The first trial of a former South Carolina police officer who shot and killed Walter Scott, an unarmed black man, ended in a mistrial this week. But after that ambiguous outcome, the case appears far from over, as the officer now potentially faces two more trials stemming from the shooting.
“Prosecutors have vowed to retry Michael Slager, the onetime North Charleston officer, in state court, where he was charged with murder. He has also been indicted on federal charges alleging that he violated Scott’s civil rights during the April 2015 shooting, which could carry a potential life sentence.
“After the mistrial was announced, attorneys for Scott’s family pointed to both of these upcoming trials as proof that Slager ‘may have delayed justice, but he did not escape it.’ The following day, though, Vice President-elect Mike Pence suggested that the federal trial was not necessarily set in stone, saying the next administration would have to decide if they will continue pressing that case.”