One person was shot and gravely wounded on Wednesday in a second night of unrest in Charlotte, North Carolina, officials said, as riot police dispersed unruly protesters after the fatal police shooting of a black man under disputed circumstances.
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The protests are the result of Tuesday’s police shooting of 40 year-old Keith L. Scott, who was shot and killed by a black plainclothes officer in a vest emblazoned with “Police”. We’ve been very patient, but now they’ve become aggressive, throwing bottles and so forth, at my officers.
Some protesters banged on glass windows, others threw objects at police and stood on cars as police fired tear gas, sending demonstrators scattering.
Protesters rushed police in riot gear at a downtown Charlotte hotel and of.
Many of these protesters are college students, descending on the condo complex where Keith Lamont Scott was shot and killed by a black Charlotte police officer.
Up to 12 police have been injured in protests in Charlotte, North Carolina in the U.S., following the fatal shooting of a man they say was armed.
His death sparked violent protests on Tuesday night, leaving 16 officers injured. The investigation is ongoing, it will be transparent.
However, Scott’s daughter claimed in a live Facebook post watched by more than half a million people, that contrary to the police department’s statement, her father was not armed. It also was not clear if she witnessed the shooting.
“The officers gave loud, clear verbal commands, which were also heard by numerous witnesses”, the police chief said.
Police say they spotted Scott during the search for a suspect wanted for an outstanding warrant.
Protesters began demonstrating again Wednesday evening at police headquarters in Charlotte. Police did not release dashboard or body camera footage, but said Scott had a gun and refused several orders to drop his weapon.
A fellow civilian, not police, shot him, authorities said.
Mayor Jennifer Roberts called on demonstrators to heed calls from Scott’s family to remain peaceful. “We can not tolerate the destruction of property and will not tolerate the attacks towards our police officers that are occurring right now, and I feel very strongly about that”, the governor later told CNN.
The protests began shortly after the shooting and extended into Wednesday.
Officers saw the man get out the vehicle with a gun and then get back in, Trietley said.
“It’s time to change the narrative, because I can tell you from the facts that the story is a little bit different as to how it’s been portrayed so far, especially through social media”, the chief said. They alleged that the police replaced the book with a gun after he was shot.
Putney, however, added that he did not know whether Scott “definitively pointed the weapon specifically toward an officer”.
Hundreds of protesters Wednesday night shouted slogans, including “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” and “Black Lives Matter” while filling the streets of downtown Charlotte.
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Not all protests in the city were violent. Dino Davis said. “They say it was the tear gas, and it looked like one the tear gas exploded”.
