Black motorist shot: Ex-officer facing civil rights charge

CHARLESTON, S.C. – A former South Carolina police officer is due in court this week for a discussion of motions filed ahead of his federal civil rights trial.

Michael Slager on Friday is seeking to throw out key evidence against him in the 2015 shooting death of unarmed black motorist Walter Scott. That includes a bystander’s cellphone video of the shooting by the white officer.

Slager’s trial on charges he violated Scott’s civil rights is scheduled for May. He faces murder charges in state court, where his first trial ended in a hung jury.

Federal prosecutors have filed motions of their own, asking to stop defence lawyers from mentioning police officers who die in the line of duty or suggesting jurors can send a message about the treatment of police through a not-guilty verdict.