Walter Scott shooting: Profile of police officer and murder accused Michael Slager

The white officer charged with shooting dead an unarmed black man in South Carolina served with the Coast Guard before joining the police and had once previously been accused of unnecessary use of force – an allegation he was cleared of.

Michael Slager, 33, has two stepchildren and who told a judge he is due to become a father, was the subject of two complaints during the five years he spent with the North Charleston Police Department.

NBC said that information released by the force showed that one of the complaints against the officer, lodged earlier this year, related to an alleged failure to file a proper report.

The more serious allegation related to an incident in September 2013 when a man detained by Mr Slager claimed he had used a Taser for no reason and had slammed him to the floor.

Another officer at the scene said Mr Slager had been forced to use the device during a struggle. Investigators exonerated him of wrongdoing.

David Aylor, who served as Mr Slager’s lawyer before announcing on Tuesday evening that he no longer held that role, said there were “no disciplinary issues” during his time with the department.

In his 2009 application to join the force, Mr Slager said he had worked as a waiter before serving several years with the US Coast Guard in Florida. The oath of office he signed in 2010, vowed to to “faithfully serve the citizens of this city [and] never abuse my authority either by words or acts”.

The news channel said other documents released by the force showed he had been praised in reports. It said he was skilled at handling and searching suspects and that he had shown “great officer safety tactics” when encountering suspects.

Mr Slager had earned a perfect score during his training with Tasers. He was recertified after passing a firearms qualification in August 2014. He completed a separate 10-hour active shooter incident response training course in December 2013.

A report from 2010 that when confronted with a tricky situation he had “kept calm”