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De Blasio Calls South Carolina Police Shooting of Unarmed Man 'Disturbing'

By Jeff Mays | April 8, 2015 4:14pm
 Mayor Bill de Blasio called the video showing a white Charleston, S.C. police officer fatally shooting an unarmed black man in the back
Mayor Bill de Blasio called the video showing a white Charleston, S.C. police officer fatally shooting an unarmed black man in the back "disturbing" and "painful to watch Wednesday at the opening of Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network convention.
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DNAinfo/Jeff Mays

MIDTOWN — Mayor Bill de Blasio called the video showing a white North Charleston, S.C. police officer fatally shooting an unarmed black man in the back "disturbing" and "painful" to watch Wednesday at the opening of Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network convention.

He also seemed to allude to the Eric Garner case, which was captured on tape, saying "once again we are watching a video."

"You can't watch that as a human being and not feel pain. It makes no sense according to what our core notions of humanity and decency and justice are," said the mayor while speaking at the Sheraton New York in Midtown.

Michael Slager, 33, claims he shot at Walter Scott, 50, eight times because he feared for his life, according to media reports.

Slager had performed a traffic stop on Scott for a broken tail light. The video shows Scott slowly running away when Slager opens fire.

The New York Times reports that Slager said Scott took his Taser but the video shows the Taser wires sticking out of Scott's back after apparently being fired.

After he shot Scott, Slager went back to where the tussle took place, picked something up off the ground and then dropped it next to where Scott was lying.

The officer did not perform any life-saving measures on Scott who was pronounced dead on the scene. Slager was charged with murder Tuesday in the shooting.

Sharpton called for national legislation around the issues of police cameras and "accountability."

Garner was confronted by police for allegedly selling loose cigarettes on Staten Island before being placed in a chokehold that the medical examiner said led to his death.

The incident, with Garner yelling "I can't breathe" multiple times, was also captured on video.

But de Blasio said official videos will help reduce these incidents. The NYPD recently launched a body camera pilot program.

"We've seen these painful moments captured on individual citizen's cell phone cameras. We are going to move more and more to a society where the cameras on police officers are for the good of all, so the truth comes out," said de Blasio.

"Whether that truth indicates fault on the part of the officer or the citizen, what we are seeking is the truth."

Afterward, de Blasio said the body cameras will help improve the relationship between community and police by creating an "immediate level of clarity and accountability for everyone involved."

"This is all about reducing the use of force," said de Blasio.