A white South Carolina police officer who was charged over the fatal shooting of a black driver in 2014 has been sentenced to three years of probation.
Justin Craven, 27, pleaded guilty to “misdemeanour misconduct in office”. A prosecutor had wanted the officer to be charged with manslaughter, which carries a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, but a grand jury refused.
Ernest Satterwhite, 68, attempted to escape police during a 13-minute chase during which he reached speeds of 100mph while over the legal limit of alcohol to drive.
A video of the shooting shows the officer run to the window of Mr Satterwhite’s vehicle. There is then a slight commotion before he fires several shots.
According to his lawyer, Mr Craven feared for his life because Mr Satterwhite was trying to grab his gun.
"His mistake in judgment was approaching the car and getting too close. He had to make a split-second decision instead of like now, when everyone gets all the time they want to analyse it.”
It was reported that Judge Frank Addy gave the officer probation because he could understand how the shooting happened after a long chase.
The decision has been met by uproar with many believing it is another disproportionate act of police brutality against a black person.
South Carolina state Representative Joe Neal said the video showed Mr Craven to be a “gun happy” officer.
“What he did was murder this man, and the judicial system just let him get away with it.”
