The shooting death of an unarmed black man in North Charleston, South Carolina by a police officer was an “execution,” according to pediatric neurosurgeon and potential presidential candidate Ben Carson.
“Probably like most reasonable people you’re aghast,” Carson said in an interview with Buzzfeed News Wednesday. “It’s horrible to see an execution take place in the street like that.”
On Tuesday, police officer Michael Slager was charged with murder in the shooting death of Walter Scott following a traffic stop earlier this month, after video emerged of the incident.
According to Carson, law enforcement should condemn the shooting and the officer’s actions. One way or the other, he says, the response will be enlightening.
“I think it’s so obvious that he was wrong that this provides an excellent opportunity for law enforcement personnel across the country to really come out and condemn this,” Carson said. “And if they do that tells us a lot. And if they don’t that tells us a lot.”
When asked if police officers are too quick to go to their guns, especially in the case of black men, Carson would not generalize, but said Slager was.
“Certainly that policeman was too quick to do it,” Carson said. “I don’t know if you can always generalize in a situation like that but certainly that officer was wrong.”
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