Presidential Hopefuls Condemn South Carolina Shooting

The 2016 presidential field uniformly condemned the shooting of Walter Scott by a police officer in South Carolina last weekend.

In statements and interviews, several GOP presidential hopefuls weighed in on the shooting which has riveted the nation, following the emergence of a video that apparently shows officer Michael T. Slager firing multiple times at Scott, who was unarmed, before appearing to drop a stun gun near his lifeless body.

In an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity Wednesday, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker called the incident “just horrific.”

“For men and women who follow the law and use the training effectively, I’m always going to stand to defend them,” he said. “But that video just shook my very human being to think that someone would do that and I think anyone who’s been in law enforcement knows that’s not the way people are trained to act. And I send out my sympathy to the family involved there.”

His comments followed Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, who on CNN said “it’s just a terrible tragedy and I hope justice does occur.”

“I think when you look at police across our country, 98 percent, 99 percent of them are doing their job on a day-to-day basis and aren’t doing things like this,” Paul continued.

Republicans have traditionally sided with law enforcement in other instances of police-on-civilian violence, making their condemnations all the more notable.

In a tweet Wednesday evening, former Secretary of State and likely Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton condemned the shooting.

“Praying for #WalterScott‘s family,” she wrote. “Heartbreaking & too familiar. We can do better – rebuild trust, reform justice system, respect all lives.”

Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, a likely Democratic challenger to Clinton, tweeted” “This video is appalling but it shows why accountability & transparency are so important. It shouldn’t take a video to ensure justice.”

In a statement, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal praised authorities for swiftly bringing charges against the officer. “This is a horrific situation, and I think it is important that authorities moved quickly to bring charges. My heart goes out to the family of the victim.”

A spokesman for former Texas Gov. Rick Perry echoed those comments, saying, “This is a terrible tragedy and the governor’s prayers are with Mr. Scott’s family.”

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham called the video “very difficult to watch and deeply troubling on many fronts,” in a statement. He added, “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 across our nation.”

TIME reached out to the other major presidential candidates for comment, but they did not offer their reactions.

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