Man Who Recorded Walter Scott Video Speaks Out: I Was Scared, Almost Erased It

Feidin Santana recorded the now-infamous video of Walter Scott being shot dead by a police officer, and he spoke out in a lengthy interview on MSNBC tonight.

Santana told Craig Melvin he didn’t think Officer Michael Slager was going to shoot Scott when he started recording. In the aftermath, he said he was so scared, he “thought about erasing the video” and even skipping town altogether.

But after reading the police report, which contradicted the account of what happened, Santana said he felt an obligation to act. He told Melvin that nothing would have happened if he hadn’t been recording, and lamented how the moral authority of the United States is damaged by something like this.

He concluded that cops need to stop “taking advantage of their power.”

Watch the full interview below, via MSNBC:

And you can watch the video Santana recorded here, via South Carolina’s Post and Courier (WARNING: VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED):

Walter Scott shooting from The Post and Courier on Vimeo.

[image via screengrab]

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Follow Josh Feldman on Twitter: @feldmaniac

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