Putney said 16 officers were injured in the protests.
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The protests began the previous night following the fatal shooting of 43-year-old Keith Lamont Scott at an apartment complex near UNC Charlotte. The officer was also African-American. The account goes on to state that as police approached the vehicle, the man, now identified as Scott, “got back out of the vehicle armed with a firearm and posed an imminent deadly threat to the officers who subsequently fired their weapon striking the subject”. “So Charlotte, the challenge is ours”.
Barnett and other civil rights leaders said that while they don’t encourage violent protests, they understood why people in Charlotte are on edge.
The woman’s claims could not be verified by The Associated Press.
The fatal police shooting in Charlotte came only a few days after police in Tulsa, Oklahoma, shot and killed an unarmed black man, at a moment when the Movement for Black Lives has created a national debate on police brutality that activists say disproportionately targets black communities.
Protesters blocked the major highway Interstate 85, where they stole boxes from lorries and started blazes. The station spoke to one truck driver who said people stole cargo from her trailer. Police in riot gear retaliated with tear gas.
A few dozen others broke down the doors of a nearby Walmart, then dispersed when the authorities arrived, according to the news station.
Protesters have rushed police in riot gear at a downtown Charlotte hotel and officers have fired tear gas to disperse the crowd.
“Protest is protected by our Constitution and is a vital instrument for raising issues and creating change”.
Obama and the mayors reiterated that protests should be conducted in a peaceful manner and that local law enforcement should find ways to calmly engage those protesting. “I can tell you we did not find a book”, he said.
Charlotte police were looking for a different suspect to serve a warrant at a block of flats when Mr Scott was killed, police spokesman Keith Trietley said.
WSOC-TV, Charlotte, reported the person who was shot died.
Three uniformed officers were wearing cameras and investigators are reviewing the footage. Scott’s family disputes the police account, saying that he was disabled, unarmed, and reading a book in his auto when he was shot. Some family members told reporters that Scott had been holding a book and was waiting for his son to be dropped off from school. Police said he had a gun and made officers fear for their safety, while Scott’s family has said he wasn’t armed.
Medic said they responded to multiple incident in Uptown, specifically around the College Street area.
A police spokeswoman declined to comment on the video.
Scott was pronounced dead by doctors at Carolinas Medical Center.
Mayor of Charlotte, Jennifer Roberts, also tweeted in response to the protesters.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg County police Officer Brentley Vinson. Some of the officers flanked the main line on one side of the road.
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.
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Two police videos, one from a helicopter and one from a patrol auto dashcam, show Shelby with her weapon drawn following Crutcher as he walked slowly to his vehicle with his hand in the air. Crutcher’s auto had broken down and he was waiting for assistance on the side of the road when police found him.
