Former South Carolina Cop To Plead Guilty In Walter Scott's Death

The police officer responsible for fatally shootingWalter Scott During a traffic stop in South Carolina has pleaded guilty to federal civil rights charges.

According to the New York Times, the 13-page document states that a part of the deal includes South Carolina prosecutors dropping a pending murder charge against Michael Slager, effectively ending the two remaining federal charges against Slager.

"The defendant willfully used deadly force even though it was objectively unreasonable under the circumstances," the plea agreement states. "The defendant acknowledges that during the time he used deadly force, he knew that the use of deadly force was unnecessary and excessive, and therefore unreasonable under the circumstances."

Prior to this, Circuit Judge Clifton Newman had declared a mistrial in Slager's shooting of Scott, with the jury of 12 people unable to come to a unanimous decision on the case.

The trial lasted for five weeks, in which the jury deliberated over whether to convict the former North Charleston police officer that pulled over Scott during a traffic stop and ultimately shot him five times in the back as he tried to run away.

One of the 12 jurors withheld their vote to convict Slager, leading to the mistrial.

However, Slager still faces the possibility of life in prison, along with $250,000 in fines at his sentencing. But he may also end up serving a sentence of more than 20 years instead, with prosecutors proposing a sentence based on federal guidelines for a second-degree murder conviction.

The hearing to determine that outcome will likely occur after federal officials prepare a presentencing report.