The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina on Wednesday said police should release body and dash camera footage from the shooting scene. Violent protests rocked the city of Charlotte following Scott’s death.
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A Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officer killed Keith Scott, 43, who had been seen entering a vehicle with a handgun, Chief Kerr Putney said at the same news conference.
Scott’s family was expected to speak at a news conference later Wednesday morning.
John Barnett said Wednesday morning that the witness did not see Scott make any threatening gestures toward officers before he was shot.
Officer Vinson was in plain clothes and was not wearing a body camera, according to Putney. At some point during the night, tear gas was reportedly used on protesters.
According to department spokesman Keith Trietley, officers saw the man get out the vehicle with a gun and then get back in. ” The police opened fire and Keith would later die after being taken to a local hospital”.
Officer Brentley Vinson, a two-year veteran who shot Mr Scott, has been placed on administrative leave over the incident. Vinson is also African-American. Scott’s family disputes the police account, saying that he was disabled, unarmed, and reading a book in his auto when he was shot. “He got a gun!’ Pow, pow, pow, pow”, she said. “Y’all m***********s running for him because he’s black”, she said.
He said the protesters turned into “aggressive agitators who began to break the law”. Protesters clash with police in Charlotte, N.C. on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016. The crowd verbally taunted about 50 to 75 officers in riot gear Tuesday night, according to an NBC News producer on the scene.
He got back in the auto as officers approached, but ignored “loud, clear verbal commands” to drop his weapon.
“When they were unheated, we deployed gas to disperse the crowd”, Putney said. Several people were arrested and portions of the highway, Interstate 85, were closed. They set off down the ramp to W.T. Harris Blvd., where they stopped traffic and smashed another police cruiser. Shelby shoots him as he puts his hands on the vehicle, and he falls to the ground.
Protests erupted across Charlotte, shutting down I-85 in both directions near Harris Boulevard as protesters roamed the highway. George Shears III, pastor at Greater Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church in Charlotte, said he joined the demonstration at 10 p.m., and it was still peaceful. Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts urged for calm.
Protestors also looted the Walmart on North Tryon Street around 3:30 a.m. “They just pulled up undercover”, she said in the video. “Charlotte is not a good place right now; we’re in the throes of this problem”.
The protesters gathered in response to unconfirmed social media posts alleging that police had killed an unarmed and disabled black man, WCNC reported. He said he plans to speak to lawyers in Ferrell’s case. Protesters have been demanding justice and an end to police brutality for months.
The suspect’s identity, race and the races of the officers involved have not been released.
Putney said the man was shot because he posed a threat.
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Putney said police dashcams did record parts of the confrontation and that the videos were being reviewed.
