A white former police officer in South Carolina has been indicted on a murder charge in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man who was running away from him.

The April 4 shooting was captured on video by a bystander and showed North Charleston officer Michael Slager firing eight times at 50-year-old Walter Scott.

The indictment means Mr Slager will face trial.

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The shooting rekindled the debate in the US about the treatment of black suspects at the hands of white officers.

Slager was charged almost immediately after the video surfaced.

Prosecutor Scarlett Wilson announced the indictment on Monday.

Wilson said earlier the death penalty does not seem to apply because there were no aggravating circumstances such as robbery or kidnapping as required under South Carolina law.

Slager, 33, faces 30 years to life in prison if convicted.