Walter Scott’s family plans to file a lawsuit against the city of North Charleston, its police department and police officer Michael Slager, who fatally shot Scott while he was running away from the officer. 
 
 Attorney Chris Stewart on Thursday said the family plans to file a wrongful death and civil rights violation lawsuit in response to the killing, which occurred Saturday of last week after a routine traffic stop. Scott, 50, was unarmed and running away from Slager, who fired eight shots at him. 
 
 The North Charleston police department fired Slager, and he is currently being held at Charleston County jail without bail. 
 
 On Thursday, a black man who said Slager used a Taser on him for no reason in 2013, announced that he is planning legal action against the city and police department as well. 
 
 And Clarence Habersham, who was with Slager during Scott’s shooting, is facing a lawsuit by another black resident in South Carolina. Sheldon Williams said police stomped on his face while he was handcuffed and lying on concrete after being arrested in November 2011. 
 
 Local chapters of the NAACP and Black Lives Matter movement have said the North Charleston police department has a history of discriminating against the black community. The president of the North Carolina chapter of the NAACP, Dot Scott, said at a Thursday press conference that the state needs to “enact a law requiring all law enforcement officers in South Carolina to wear body cameras, because as Mr Scott’s case shows, video doesn’t lie”. 
 
 At the same time as the NAACP conference, South Carolina’s Legislative Black Caucus held a conference to promote legislation to encourage police departments across the state to purchase body cameras. 
 
 The North Charleston police department has received a grant to order 101 body cameras, and Mayor Keith Summey had ordered an additional 150 cameras. 
 
 The shooting was caught on video by a man who was walking to work, Feidin Santana. 
 
 “I almost couldn’t look at it to see my son running defenselessly, being shot,” said Walter Scott’s mother, Judy Scott, on ABC’s Good Morning America. “It just tore my heart to pieces.” ||||| SEE YA 
 
 David Aylor on his ex-client who’s been charged with murder after he was recorded shooting Walter Scott eight times in the back. 
 
 The lawyer who first represented Michael Slager, the North Charleston police officer charged with murdering Walter Scott on Saturday, said he dropped his client soon after a video emerged showing Slager shooting Scott eight times as he ran away. 
 
 Charleston attorney David Aylor told The Daily Beast that he took on Slager as a client on Saturday, the day of the shooting, and removed himself as counsel on Tuesday afternoon. Aylor said he wouldn't go into detail about his brief representation of Slager thanks to attorney-client privilege but he spoke generally about the situation. The following has been lightly edited for clarity. 
 
 You were quoted as Officer Slager's attorney in the aftermath of this high-profile shooting but before the video came out. Now you're not his attorney anymore. What happened? 
 
 I can't specifically state what is the reason why or what isn't the reason why I'm no longer his lawyer. All I can say is that the same day of the discovery of the video that was disclosed publicly, I withdrew as counsel immediately. Whatever factors people want to take from that and conclusions they want to make, they have the right to do that. But I can't confirm from an attorney-client standpoint what the reason is. 
 
 When you were representing Slager, you said, “I believe once the community hears all the facts of this shooting, they’ll have a better understanding of the circumstances surrounding this investigation.” 
 
 That was my belief at the time, that's why I made that statement. 
 
 Now that the video is out, it seems the community has a much better understanding about what actually happened, and not necessarily in the officer's favor. What's your take on that new information? 
 
 I think that there's been a release of information that was not public information at the time, or not discovered at the time at least to any knowledge of mine or anyone else publicly— at least the video. I can't comment on the specifics of what I think the video says. I'm not going to analyze the video, but again ... the video came out and within the hours of the video coming out, I withdrew my representation of the client. 
 
 How did you come across the video? 
 
 I can't say where I saw it first. I first became aware of it via the media. In fact, a reporter sent it to me via e-mail. 
 
 These days, more and more people are carrying video recording devices on their phones and it's hard to not know if everything we do isn't being captured somehow. How do you, as an attorney, know to trust what you're saying about a client is true—and what do you do if you find out information that seems to refute it after you've made a statement? 
 
 I'm not going to speak specifically to this case, but generally speaking as an attorney, when you're looking at a case you have to look at a number of different factors. One part is when you have a high-profile case, on behalf of your client and at the time due to their encouragement or what they're directing you to do, you make public statements based on the information you have. It's common in any type of case when you're a defense attorney that any kind of information that you're provided is limited throughout as far as what information you're given from your client compared to when you actually get to discovery or the evidence, moving all the way to the point of more additional evidence or witnesses coming out as the case progresses. So I think with any case it's always a changing situation, or it can be. 
 
 Do you know whether Officer Slager knew someone was taping the incident? 
 
 I can't say what my client did and didn't tell me, but I can tell you that I was not aware of the video, and I'm still not aware of who filmed the video, where the video came from, how the video got disclosed and who it was disclosed to first. As far as whether it was disclosed to authorities first or whether it went straight to the media, I don't even know the answer to that question now. 
 
 Any other thoughts on this situation as his former attorney? ||||| The Scott family told NBC News that they were expecting a visit from the mayor, the police chief and a chaplain on Wednesday morning. 
 
 The confrontation occurred around 9:30 a.m. ET on Saturday after Slager pulled over Scott’s car because of a broken taillight. 
 
 The video, which was first obtained by The New York Times, picks up after the stop. Slager is seen shooting at Scott eight times as he runs away in a vacant lot. Scott drops to the ground after the last shot and Slager walks over calmly and is shown handcuffing Scott’s arms behind his back. Other police officers and later EMS tried to administer CPR but Scott died at the scene, according to an incident report. The video provided to The New York Times does not show those efforts. 
 
 The officer said the suspect took his Taser and that he feared for his life. 
 
 "Shots fired. Subject is down. He grabbed my Taser," Slager says in a call to dispatchers. 
 
 The video doesn't show Scott taking Slager's stun gun. But officials say Scott was hit with the officer's Taser because one of its projectiles was still attached to him. 
 
 The Justice Department and the South Carolina Office of the FBI are also reviewing the incident, which comes on the heels of other police-related deaths involving unarmed black males in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, Cleveland and New York's Staten Island. 
 
 Slager was arrested less than an hour after the video, taken by a bystander, was provided to city and police officials. 
 
 Attorney L. Chris Stewart, who is representing the Scott family, said the victim may have tried to run from the officer because he owed child support, which can get someone sent to jail in South Carolina until they pay it back. There were no violent offenses on his record, the attorney added. 
 
 In his interview with TODAY, Walter Scott Sr. also suggested that his son ran because he owed child support. 
 
 “I believe that he didn’t want to go to jail again,” he said. “He just ran away.” 
 
 At a Tuesday news conference, North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey said the decision to charge the officer came after viewing the footage. 
 
 Having to charge an officer is "not something that we like to hear or like to say but it goes to say how we work as a community: When you're wrong, you're wrong and if you make a bad decision, don't care if you're behind the shield or just a citizen on the street, you have to live by that decision," Summey said. 
 
 Slager has been with the department for at least five years, officials said. 
 
 North Charleston Police Chief Eddie Driggers called the incident a "tragic day" for many, but said the shooting shouldn't reflect on the department's 343 officers. 
 
 "It is not reflective of the entire police department and the city of North Charleston," Driggers said. "One does not totally throw a blanket across the many, and I think that's true in life, so it is a tragic event." 
 
 South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley added that the shooting, as it appears, is unacceptable. "I assure all South Carolinians that the criminal judicial process will proceed fully," she said in a statement. "This is a sad time for everyone in South Carolina, and I urge everyone to work together to help our community heal." 
 
 At a news conference in front of the Scotts' Charleston home, his family remembered the father of four and Coast Guard veteran as a proud member of the community and said he “would never” have fought an officer over a Taser. 
 
 “Out of my brothers, he was the most outgoing out of all of us,” Anthony Scott said. “He knew everybody. … He was well-known in the community everywhere. He was just an outgoing type of person, and loving and kind.” 
 
 Anthony Scott said they were disturbed by initial reports that Slager said his brother grabbed the stun gun. 
 
 “I think through the process, we have received the truth. We can’t get my brother back, and my family is in deep mourning for that,” Anthony Scott added. “But through the process, justice has been served. I don't think all police officers are bad cops, but there are some bad ones out there." 
 
 Lawyers for the family said they are looking into filing a civil lawsuit against police. Attorney Stewart said the video will play key evidence. 
 
 "For the first time in a long time, an officer is going to be charged," Stewart told reporters. "What happened today doesn’t happen all the time," he added. "What if there wasn't no video, what if there was no witness ... then this (murder charge against the officer) wouldn't have happened." 
 
 The Associated Press contributed to this report. ||||| The family of Walter Scott will get a settlement of $6.5 million from the city of North Charleston, the largest such payout in the recent high-profile killings of black men by police officers. 
 
 With members of Scott’s family seated in the audience, City Council unanimously voted Thursday to approve the settlement, which City Attorney Brady Hair called “the largest settlement for this type of case in the state of South Carolina,” adding that he feels it’s in line with settlements on similar cases nationwide. 
 
 Scott, 50, a black man, was shot April 4 by white North Charleston police officer Michael Slager. Cellphone video captured by a passerby showed the officer shooting Scott in the back. 
 
 Although the killing sparked protests at City Hall, there was no violence as there has been in other cities where similar incidents have occurred, such as Ferguson, Mo., and Baltimore. City officials and family members credited the peaceful response of the public and the city’s swift action in arresting Slager with facilitating a settlement. 
 
 “We are very proud that we were able to settle a case of this magnitude without a brick being thrown, without a fire being set and without a lawsuit being filed,” said Hair. 
 
 North Charleston officials said they have been talking with Scott family lawyers for several months. 
 
 “We agreed ... to try to resolve the case without a lawsuit,” Hair said. “We had lots of open, honest, cordial discussions with them. We didn’t agree on everything but it was a very unique way of handling the situation. We’ve never done it like this before. ... but we felt that if we could come to a resolution without a lawsuit being filed, without depositions and without press coverage of every step both sides made, that it would be healthier for both the family and the city.” 
 
 Days after the Scott slaying, lawyers for the family said they planned to file suits against Slager, 33, for civil rights violation and wrongful death, but no suits were filed. During several meetings over the past few months, City Council has gone into closed session to receive advice from Hair on a potential lawsuit. 
 
 Slager was indicted on a murder charge in June, and in September Circuit Judge Clifton Newman denied bail, calling the evidence against Slager “persuasive.” 
 
 Anthony Scott, Walter Scott’s brother, said Thursday, “Though nothing can replace having Walter in our lives, the city of North Charleston’s historic actions ensure that he did not die in vain. This city sent a message loud and clear that this kind of reckless behavior exhibited by members of law enforcement will not and shall not be tolerated.” 
 
 The settlement also protects current or former city employees from being sued in the case. 
 
 “The Eric Garner case in New York and the Freddie Gray case in Baltimore really set the tone for the range of numbers that we thought was consistent with what was going on,” said Hair. “We think it is a really fair settlement and a good one. It’s a lot of money but we had to realistically face the fact that the potential for a very large verdict was there because of the video and because we have a police officer who is charged with murder.” 
 
 Asked how the parties arrived at a figure, Chris Stewart, a lawyer for the Scott family, said, “You have to be realistic. There is no way that this city could pay $50 million ... You can go to your corner being unrealistic and just fight with the other side, and at the end of the day also harm the city and innocent people that had nothing to do with the situation.” 
 
 Mayor Keith Summey said it was important for the city to acknowledge the harm done to Scott and his family. 
 
 “(Nothing) negates the fact that (Slager) shot the guy in the back and we’re wrong,” said Summey. “From Day 1, we have said, ‘When you’re wrong, you’re wrong,’ and there was no doubt in our mind that it was going to cost us. Even though I think we handled it completely appropriately, it was still going to cost us.” 
 
 The settlement will allow the family and the city to move on, Hair said. 
 
 “We think that it is a good resolution and a fair one,” Hair said. “This would have been the thing that we dealt with the next several years and that’s not fair to our citizens, not fair to our Police Department and frankly, not fair to the family.” 
 
 “It’s time to move on, bottom line,” said Police Chief Eddie Driggers. “It’s time to move on and do what people pay us to do — to serve and protect. We have 343 sworn officers trying to do what’s right by the citizens they serve.” 
 
 Stewart said he could not address how the money will be divided among family members, “but his (four) children will be taken care of.” 
 
 In addition, a portion of the settlement money will be donated to the Red Cross to aid flood victims, Anthony Scott said. 
 
 Talks are ongoing with the state Insurance Reserve Fund, but as of now, about $1 million of the settlement will come from the Insurance Reserve Fund and the rest will come from the city’s fund balance, which currently is about $18 million. It will not affect the city’s bond rating, Summey said. 
 
 “This entire situation has been almost a blueprint of how these situations should be handled,” Stewart said of the settlement. “They came to the table willing to talk, willing to work things out. They didn’t just give away $6.5 million. We had to fight, argue, battle, got at each other for a while, but peaceful resolution is always better.” 
 
 Justin Bamberg, a state representative who is also a Scott-family lawyer, said, “From start to this point, to hopefully a criminal conviction of the officer, we have set a prototype, the standard, for how these types of situations can be handled and should be handled, in that when you keep faith, when you respect one another ... things can work out.” 
 
 After the video was made public, Scott’s death became the focus of a nationwide discussion on police officers’ use of force against black men. The video showed Scott freeing himself from a struggle and running away as he was shot at eight times. 
 
 “The criminal process still has to run its course,” Hair said. “Getting this part of the matter behind everyone will help so that the criminal justice system can focus on that.” 
 
 Anthony Scott called the settlement a “bittersweet victory” and said the family will focus on the criminal trial. 
 
 “It is our hope that after a jury of his peers reviews the evidence, they’ll send an equally important message to law enforcement that there is no place for unnecessary violence against unarmed, fleeing individuals.” 
 
 Slager also is being sued by Julius Garnett Wilson, who has a history of drug arrests and a conviction for interfering with police, for allegedly shooting Wilson in the back with a Taser last year. The suit was filed in the wake of Scott’s shooting. 
 
 In July, New York City reached a $5.9 million settlement with the family of Garner to resolve a wrongful-death claim over his killing by the police on Staten Island a year earlier. The officer, Daniel Pantaleo, was not indicted in the case. 
 
 On July 17, 2014, two officers approached Garner, who was unarmed, and accused him of selling untaxed cigarettes. One of the officers used a chokehold to subdue Garner, and that hold, along with the compression of Garner’s chest by other officers who held him down, was cited when the medical examiner ruled the death a homicide. 
 
 Last month, the city of Baltimore approved a $6.4 million settlement with the family of Freddie Gray, who suffered a fatal spinal injury when the 25-year-old was handcuffed and shackled, but not buckled in, inside a police van in April. 
 
 Six officers charged in the case have pleaded not guilty and will stand trial on charges ranging from assault to murder. 
 
 In a case of an officer-involved shooting that went to trial recently, a federal jury last year awarded $97.5 million to the family of former Cottageville Mayor Bert Reeves. Reeves was fatally shot by a town police officer and the sum was settled earlier this year by both sides at $10 million.
– With protests gaining steam, the city of North Charleston is trying to stay aggressive in its reaction to a white police officer's fatal shooting of an unarmed black man: Officer Michael Slager, who already has been charged with murder, has been fired from the force, the mayor said today. Mayor Keith Summey also announced that every police officer in the city will wear body cameras from now on, reports the Post and Courier. "I have watched the video and was sickened by what I saw," said Police Chief Eddie Diggers of footage of the shooting taken by a bystander. As he spoke at a press conference, the AP reports that protesters interrupted him with chants of "no justice, no peace." "It looked like he was trying to kill a deer or something, running through the woods," Walter Scott Sr., father of the slain Walter Scott, tells NBC. Though Slager has been fired, the city will continue to pay his health insurance for a while because his wife is eight months' pregnant. Meanwhile, the Daily Beast reports that the attorney who initially represented Slager dropped him as a client as soon as video emerged of the shooting—but he's leaving it for others to connect the dots. "I can't specifically state what is the reason why or what isn't the reason why I'm no longer his lawyer," says David Aylor. "All I can say is that the same day of the discovery of the video that was disclosed publicly, I withdrew as counsel immediately."