Walter Scott was driving his passenger home for a cookout

By ASSOCIATED PRESS and DAILYMAIL.COM REPORTER

Walter Scott and his passenger were looking forward to having a cookout when he was pulled over and shot dead by a South Carolina police officer, it has emerged.

Scott, 50, and Pierre Fulton, his friend of several years, had met for breakfast on April 4 before Scott drove him to a church so Fulton could collect a bag of vegetables.

He then took Fulton home to drop off the bag there before they both headed over to Scott’s house.

‘They were heading to Walter Scott’s house to eventually have a cookout that afternoon,’ said Fulton’s attorney, Mark Peper.

But as they returned home, their car was pulled over for a broken tail light in North Charleston.

Scott jumped out of the car fled the scene – and was shot multiple times in the back by officer Michael Slager in a horrifying incident captured on a passerby’s cell phone camera.

Peper said that his client did not know why Scott ran from the car but that he said there was no confrontation.

Following the stop ‘there was never a conversation between Pierre and Walter regarding the reason for the stop, what his intentions were – anything along those lines,’ Peper said.

Scott was behind $18,000 in his child support payments and family members have said he may have run because he was worried about going to jail.

Scott, who is black, ran away and a video showed Slager, who is white, firing eight shots at Scott.

Fulton said he heard the crackle of a Taser and shots fired. From where Scott’s car was parked, his client could see Slager chase after Scott but did not see him get shot, Peper said.

‘As they turned the corner, he wasn’t able to see anything that occurred,’ he said.

And while his client heard the Taser followed by the gunshots, ‘he doesn’t recall the timing or how many seconds between it. All that’s a bit foggy’, he said.

Peper said his client has also given a statement to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

Family members said earlier that two were headed to an auto parts store at the time of the shooting.

Peper said they may have had errands planned but his client said they were eventually heading to Scott’s house.

He said his client has asked for privacy so he can deal with the death of his friend.

‘He is torn up. He is a mess,’ Peper added to ABC News. ‘He hasn’t been able to talk to anybody about this.’

The father-of-four’s death sparked a nationwide debate about police brutality and bias against black people after the witness’ video contradicted the police account of the event.

Slager, 33, had said that he felt ‘threatened’ by Scott during a confrontation over his Taser, but the footage revealed the civilian running away before he was shot.

Scott was laid to rest last weekend. His casket was draped in an American flag and accompanied by his distraught mother, Judy.

Slager has been later charged with murder and fired from the police department. He has yet to enter a plea.