The South Carolina police officer charged in the videotaped shooting death of an unarmed black man earlier this month will not face the death penalty, the chief prosecutor in Charleston County said Monday, marking the latest turn in a case that has reignited the national debate on race and police force.
Ninth Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson said none of the 22 circumstances that allow South Carolina to seek capital punishment apply in the case involving North Charleston Patrolman 1st Class Michael T. Slager, The Post and Courier reports. Slager, 33, was arrested and charged with murder following the death of Walter Scott on April 4; a bystander’s video of the deadly incident shows Slager firing eight shots in the direction of Scott as he ran away after being stopped about a broken tail light.
MORE: Walter Scott’s Brother Recalls First Viewing of Shocking Video
“Under South Carolina law, this case is not death penalty-eligible,” Wilson said Monday. “There are aggravating circumstances which can take a murder case from being a maximum of life to death being the maximum sentence. None of those factors are present in this case.”
Slager, who remains held at the Charleston County Jail, faces 30 years to life in prison if convicted.
Read next: In the Line of Fire
More Must-Reads From TIME
- The 100 Most Influential People of 2024
- Coco Gauff Is Playing for Herself Now
- Scenes From Pro-Palestinian Encampments Across U.S. Universities
- 6 Compliments That Land Every Time
- If You're Dating Right Now , You're Brave: Column
- The AI That Could Heal a Divided Internet
- Fallout Is a Brilliant Model for the Future of Video Game Adaptations
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
Write to Nolan Feeney at nolan.feeney@time.com