The judge in the case of Michael Slager, charged with murder and manslaughter in the killing of Scott in 2015, has ordered the jury to continue deliberations.
A jury on Friday said it was unable to reach a unanimous verdict in the case of Michael Slager, a former South Carolina police officer charged with murder in the 2015 shooting death of Walter Scott, an unarmed black man. However, a judge ordered the jury to return to deliberations and reach a consensus.
The now-infamous video which captured the incident shows Slager firing his handgun multiple times striking Scott in the back as he ran away following a traffic stop related to a burned-out brake light.
After around 14 hours of deliberation, starting Wednesday night, the jury said Friday that it could not reach a unanimous verdict, according to reporters who live-tweeted the trial.
The jury told the court that they "will not be able to come to a consensus" and that listening to witness testimony again will not change their minds.
A note from the 12-member jury, comprised of 11 white members and one black member — appeared to suggest that it could be one juror who was holding out, reporters at the trial said.
Judge Clifton Newman then issued an Allen Charge to the jury, an instruction encouraging them to deliberate further until they reached a unanimous verdict.
"You have a duty to make every reasonable effort to reach a unanimous verdict," Newman told the jurors. He told them that unless they reached a consensus he would have to declare a mistrial "and we will have to go through this whole process again."
Grace Beahm / AP
LINK: Former Officer Who Shot Unarmed Black Man In The Back Testifies In Trial
from BuzzFeed - USNews http://ift.tt/2gPvnOm
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