Walter Scott murder accused Michael Slager refused bail before trial over shooting of unarmed black man

The former police officer is accused of shooting Mr Scott in the back

Michael Slager was deemed 'an unreasonable danger to the community' by the court (Reuters)

Michael Slager, the white former police officer accused of fatally shooting a black man in the back as he ran away, will not be released before his trial.

South Carolina Circuit Judge Clifton Newman has denied bond for Slager, saying in a brief order that he would "constitute an unreasonable danger to the community."

The former North Charleston officer has been held in solitary confinement since his arrest on murder charges after the shooting death of Walter Scott on 4 April.

A still from a video appears to show Michael Slager shooting Walter Scott as he runs away (Reuters)

A bystander's cellphone video showed Slager firing eight times as Scott tried to run from a traffic stop. The incident inflamed the national debate about how black people are treated by law officers.

Prosecution and defence attorneys sparred over the bond question during a hearing on Thursday and met again to discuss the case the following day.

AP