Police have not given an update on the number of people or police officers hurt. He said officers couldn’t find a book at the scene.
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The governor of the southern U.S. state of North Carolina has declared a state of emergency following a second night of unrest in Charlotte ignited by the fatal police shooting of a black man.
Minutes later, police fired more tear gas and began pushing the crowd back.
Charlotte Police Chief Kerr Putney said Scott was shot after he refused to put down a gun. According to the daughter, her father was sitting in his vehicle reading a book and waiting for his son to return from school.
Authorities have not released any video footage of the incident, but the city’s mayor has said they plan to do so and she would watch the footage on Thursday.
Protesters once again showed their anger over the death of 43-year-old Keith Lamont Scott who was killed by officers on Tuesday.
Police said they did not fire on the man, who was pulled away by paramedics protected by officers in riot gear.
“Civilian who suffered gunshot wound during protests is on life support, critical condition”.
Scott, a father of seven, was killed by police in an apartment complex parking lot as officers looked for another man named in a warrant they were trying to serve. Family members said Scott was reading a book in his vehicle when he was shot. The plainclothes officer, identified as Brently Vinson, a two-year member of the department, has been placed on leave, standard procedure in such cases.
“We call for the full release of all facts available”, said William Barber, president of the state’s chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP), in a statement.
Immediately after the shooting, police began firing flash grenades and protesters threw fireworks.
Civil rights activists are now calling for more transparency. However, three uniformed officers had cameras on them, the chief said. As dusk turned to night, the protests erupted into violence as the protesters engaged in skirmishes with CMPD officers in riot gear. Officer Brentley Vinson shot Scott.
A young boy held a sign saying, “My life matters”.
“Charlotte has always been quiet”, she said.
The chief said he was not certain whether Scott pointed his gun at officers. “This is not who we are”, she told CNN.
North Carolina has a law that takes effect October 1 requiring a judge to approve releasing police video, and Putney said he doesn’t release video when a criminal investigation is ongoing.
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The fatal shooting came amid an intense national debate over the use of deadly force by police, particularly against black men.
