Accused Charleston cop had prior excessive force complaint
The South Carolina police officer facing a murder charge after video surfaced of him shooting a fleeing suspect in the back was allowed to stay on the force despite an earlier complaint he used excessive force against an unarmed man.
Mario Givens recounted to The Associated Press on Wednesday how he was awakened before dawn one morning in 2013 by a loud banging on the front door of his family’s North Charleston home. On his porch was Patrolman Michael Thomas Slager, responding to a reported burglary in the neighborhood.
Givens said he cracked open the door and Slager pushed in, shooting him in the belly with a stun gun. The 33-year-old filed a formal complaint against Slager backed by at least two other witnesses, but police took no action.
Biesecker reported from Raleigh, North Carolina. Associated Press Writer Jeffery Collins in North Charleston, South Carolina, contributed to this report.
This story was originally published April 8, 2015 at 8:00 PM with the headline "Accused Charleston cop had prior excessive force complaint."