New Evidence In Walter Scott Case? Attorneys For Police Officer Facing Charges Say Scott Was On Top Of Officer Before Shooting

Attorneys for the white South Carolina police officer facing murder charges in the controversial fatal shooting of unarmed black man Walter Scott have said new evidence in the case should allow the officer to be released on bond, CBS News reported. Officer Michael Slager’s attorneys made a filing Tuesday, saying there was more to the April incident that left the 50-year-old Scott dead after a traffic stop than many realize.

Slager’s attorneys said they planned to present still images from a cell phone video that show Scott on top of the officer, and they have suggested Scott may also have been armed at some point. They said a more intense struggle may have ensued between the two since Slager’s stun gun was fired six times, and both Slager and Scott were each hit twice.

A statement by Scott’s family asserts that the stun gun was used twice, according to ABC News. Slager's attorneys also said Slager’s clothing had blood on it, and that he had abrasions on his knee as well as an injured finger as a result of the confrontation with Scott.

"Time will tell and I think that you will be able to judge his actions not by just what he said but what the independent evidence is," Slager’s attorney, Andy Savage, said ahead of a scheduled Thursday bond hearing in the officer’s case.

According to reports, Slager’s attorneys also have filed a toxicology report on Scott, which said Scott had alcohol, marijuana and cocaine in his system when he and Slager got into their altercation. But the attorney for Scott’s family, L. Chris Stewart, told ABC News the toxicology report detracts from the fact that Slager shot Scott while he was running away.

In April, Slager, a white police officer, killed Scott, an unarmed black man, by shooting him in the back while he ran away in North Charleston, South Carolina. Slager was recorded on a cell phone video shooting Scott. Scott’s death came at a time when many began to question police tactics and raise questions regarding police brutality and race relations.