Walter Scott Family Receives $6.5 Million From City of North Charleston After Fatal Police Shooting
The City of North Charleston paid $6.5 million to the family of Walter Scott, an unarmed man shot in the back by a police officer after a routine traffic stop, in what attorney L. Chris Stewart described as the largest pre-lawsuit settlement in South Carolina history.
What happened
On April 4, 2015, a North Charleston police officer stopped Walter Scott, 50, for a broken taillight. After Scott exited the vehicle and ran, Officer Michael Slager fired eight shots. Scott, who was unarmed, was struck five times in the back and died at the scene. Slager initially claimed Scott had grabbed his Taser during a struggle.
A bystander's cellphone video, obtained and published by The New York Times days later, contradicted that account. It showed Slager firing at Scott as he fled across an empty lot. Slager was charged with murder within days of the footage becoming public.
L. Chris Stewart represented the Scott family in the civil matter. Rather than file a lawsuit and enter extended litigation, Stewart worked with North Charleston Mayor R. Keith Summey to negotiate directly with the city. The City Council voted 10-0 on October 8, 2015 to approve the $6.5 million settlement, roughly six months after the shooting.
Stewart described the outcome as the largest pre-lawsuit settlement in South Carolina history and said it ranked among the largest nationally for a case of this type. The payout was structured to provide long-term financial security for Scott's four children. For comparison, the family of Eric Garner had received $5.9 million from New York City, and Baltimore paid $6.4 million to the family of Freddie Gray.
The settlement resolved the civil claim only. On the criminal side, Slager eventually pleaded guilty in federal court to using excessive force under color of law and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Stewart later cited the combination of the civil settlement and the federal conviction as a model for how communities and the justice system can respond to police use-of-force cases.
Sources
This account is drawn from contemporaneous public reporting and the court record.
- 1.Mining Gazette (AP wire) - $6.5M Walter Scott settlement, Chris Stewart named·Archived copy
- 2.ABC News 4 (Charleston) - Scott family attorney Chris Stewart on Slager conviction·Archived copy
- 3.Newsweek - North Charleston to Pay $6.5 Million Over Police Shooting of Walter Scott·Archived copy
- 4.The Daily Beast: Walter Scott's family gets $6.5M·Archived copy
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