President Barack Obama’s senior adviser and several of South Carolina’s congressional lawmakers Wednesday denounced the shooting death of an unarmed African-American man by a white North Charleston, S.C., police officer as "devastating" and "deeply troubling."
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C. said "it is clear" that the killing of 50-year-old Walter Scott was "unnecessary and avoidable."
"My prayers are with the Scott family as they go through this ordeal," said the senator, who isn’t related to the victim.
Obama Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett, speaking on "The Joe Madison Show" on Sirius/XM radio, said that the FBI has opened an investigation into the incident that occurred Saturday during a traffic stop. North Charleston police officer Michael Slager, 33 was charged with murder Tuesday evening.
"I have to tell you, as a mom, it was just devastating to think of having to watch my child being just shot down like that," Jarrett said.
The shooting, captured in a graphic video, follows high-profile cases in Ferguson, Mo., Cleveland, and New York and has rekindled the debate over use of force by law enforcement, particularly in incidents involving black men.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a potential 2016 presidential candidate, said the video "is very difficult to watch and deeply troubling on many fronts."
"I have full confidence this incident will continue to be investigated by the relevant authorities, the legal process will proceed, and ultimately, justice will be done," Graham said in a statement. "I also know the actions of the officer in this situation do not accurately reflect on the many valuable contributions made by thousands of law enforcement officers in South Carolina and our nation."
At the White House, Press Secretary Josh Earnest said he expected Obama had seen the video, but hadn’t talked with him about it.
“I can tell you that the reaction from others that I've talked to around the White House today is that the video's awfully hard to watch, and I think that is the kind of human response that we've seen from people all across the country,” Earnest said. He noted the video appeared to have changed the way investigators looked at the case and suggested it could support the need for police officers to wear cameras.
It’s an “example of how body cameras worn by police officers could have a positive impact in terms of building trust between law enforcement officers and the communities that they serve,” Earnest said. He noted the administration earlier this year had announced a community policing initiative grant for $75 million to help enforcement agencies enact policies related to body cameras.
Assistant Democratic Leader James Clyburn, D-S.C., the highest-ranking African-American in the House of Representatives, said on MSNBC’s "Andrea Mitchell Reports that he was "saddened" but "not surprised at the shooting."
"This whole issue that police misconduct is an issue that all of us know is here and must be dealt with and we ought to stop making excuses and ought to stop holding -- start holding people accountable for them because that's all that's going to be required for us to make this thing right," Clyburn said.
Clyburn said he advises young people to keep their cell phone batteries charged and their camera/video recording devices at the ready.
"And don’t hesitate to turn them on when you see things happening that’s unbecoming or you think may cross the line because I think we are going to do more of this because I think that’s what it’s going to take for police officers to really think twice before pulling their weapons," he said.
Sen. Tim Scott, ironically, was attending a political fundraiser in St. Lous when he heard about the North Charlteston shooting Tuesday. He met with clergy and community leaders in Ferguson, Mo., Wednesday before flying to Charleston.
He has been in contact with representatives of Walter Scott’s family, according to Sean Connor, a spokesman for the senator. Scott, the first elected African-American senator from the South since Reconstraction, called for calm in North Charleston Wednesday.
"With several protests planned today, I join community leaders in North Charleston in calling for peace," the senator said. "I understand the hurt and the anger many are feeling today. But violence solves nothing."
Lesley Clark contributed to this report.
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