Walter Scott Remembered at Funeral, Week After Fatal Shooting
Officer who shot him charged with murder.
— -- The family and friends of Walter Scott are remembering him Saturday, one week after he was shot and killed by a police officer.
The funeral for Scott, 50, was held at the W.O.R.D. Ministries Christian Center in Summerville, South Carolina, about 20 miles away from North Charleston where Scott was fatally shot by Michael Slager on April 4. Slager has since been charged with murder and dismissed from the police department.
Scott's mother, brother and several of his children were in attendance.
"Thank God my brother was used as a catalyst for change," Scott's brother Rodney Scott said. "Nobody deserves to go out like that."
Scott's daughter, Samantha, also contributed, reading a poem to the crowd of nearly 1,000 people.
"I had your love from the start... You brought so much joy into my life," she said. "I will always be your little girl. But I know I need to grow up and move on. But I will never move on from you."
Pastor George Hamilton then went to the podium.
"It's one thing to have a loved one die... It's another to have to watch them die... and see how they died," he said.
"Walter's death was motivated by racial discrimination," Hamilton said. "You've got to hate somebody to shoot them in the back.
"This officer is a disgrace to the North Charleston Police Department" and to "all of the law abiding" police officers, Hamilton said.
"We will not indict the entire law enforcement for the act of one racist," he continued.
"You don't tase a man and then shoot him," Hamilton said, adding that a "badge is not authority to murder."
After Hamilton spoke, the casket was opened and guests were invited to view the body.
Scott, who was a loyal Dallas Cowboys fan, had a Cowboys flag with the word "tradition" inside his coffin.
People started lining up at the church over three hours before the funeral began. The crowd was overwhelming at the entrance to the church right before the service, and Scott's family members were asked to raise their hands to be ushered inside the full sanctuary.
The hearse carrying Scott's body was accompanied by a police escort, according to ABC News affiliate WCIV-TV.
Officials attending the service included Charleston County Sheriff Al Cannon, Sen. Tim Scott, state Senator Marlon Kimpson and Representatives Mark Sanford and Jim Clyburn.
At a press conference following the funeral, Scott family attorney Justin Bamberg said it was unclear whether played a role in the shooting.
Another family attorney, Chris Stewart, said Scott was employed at the time of his death. Stewart said he believed Scott may have run from Slager because he was afraid of losing his job if he had to go to jail over child support payments he owed.
Scott's former employer, Rogers & Brown Distributors, told ABC News that Scott was employed as of April 3 -- the day before the shooting.
On Friday afternoon, mourners gathered at a wake for Scott, where his open casket was arranged with an American flag, a Dallas Cowboys sign and a small figurine of a player. A flower arrangement next to the casket had a sign reading "Beloved Father" and a ribbon next to the arrangement read "St. Andrews Parish High School Class of 1984."
Slager was charged with murder Tuesday after a witness came forward with video that appears to show the moment when he fatally shot Scott as Scott was running away from him. The victim's family attorney, who gave the video to ABC News, said he believes it could prove that the officer used excessive force.
Slager has not yet had to enter a plea. His attorney, Andy Savage, who was retained by Slager after his first attorney dropped his case, issued a statement to ABC News saying that it is "too early for us to be saying what we think."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.