Authorities tried to quell public anger and correct what they characterized as false information Wednesday as Charlotte dealt with a second night of violent protests, adding itself to the list of USA cities that have erupted in violence over the death of a black man at the hands of police.
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Charlotte’s police chief says 43-year-old Keith Lamont Scott refused multiple warnings to drop a handgun before a black officer fatally shot the black man.
The killing inflamed racial tensions in a city that seemed to have steered clear of the troubles that engulfed other places.
At least one person has been shot during the second night of protests in Charlotte after a fatal officer-involved shooting Tuesday.
Demonstrators protest the fatal police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott in Charlotte, N.C., on Wednesday night. Crutcher’s vehicle had broken down and he was waiting for assistance on the side of the road when police found him.
The Civil Emergency Unit had to be called in to disperse the crowd.
But not all the marchers left. They then fired tear gas at the hundreds of protesters, dispersing most of the crowd.
John Barnett, who runs a civil rights group called True Healing Under God, or THUG, warned that the video might be the only way for the police to regain the community’s trust: “Just telling us this is still under investigation is not good enough for the windows of the Wal-Mart”. Some threw rocks at police, set fires and blocked part of Interstate 85.
Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney said his department is trying to be as transparent and open as possible with the investigation into the deadly officer-involved shooting Tuesday afternoon, but he said they can not release the video that may show the circumstances around the shooting. One person was arrested.
Scott’s family initially told local news outlets Tuesday that he was disabled and unarmed. In the footage, she is at the cordoned-off shooting scene, yelling at officers.
“My daddy is dead”, the woman screams on the video.
Police said officer Brentley Vinson was in plainclothes when he shot Scott and was not wearing a body camera.
Police dashcam video shows 43-year-old Keith Scott getting out of the vehicle with a gun in his hand as he approached officers, sources confirmed to Channel 9.
According to the Washington Post, 164 African American males have been shot and killed by police in 2016 and 62 officers have been identified in these cases.
The chief said he was not certain whether Scott pointed his gun at officers.
Shelby’s attorney has said Crutcher was not following the officers’ commands and that Shelby was concerned because he kept reaching for his pocket as if he were carrying a weapon.
Putney said evidence and witnesses support the officers’ claim that Scott was armed. The officer has been placed on administrative leave as the shooting is investigated.
One group of students came from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, about 80 miles away. Moments later, loud bangs rang out as protesters sprinted from the Omni Hotel, telling NBC Charlotte’s Ty Chandler that a person was shot in front of the hotel.
Over 12 officers were injured during the protests, according to a tweet from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. There were a few protests but no violence.
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On Tuesday, she said, Scott had only a book in his hands and was following orders.
