Governor Pat MacRoy is calling the National Guard to protect the city.
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Scott’s wife, Rakeiya Scott, released a statement Wednesday night questioned statements put forward by law enforcement officials.
Several businesses in uptown and near the Epicentre were looted and broken into last night as several people protested the shooting death of Keith Scott. CMPD confirmed that four officers were injured during Wednesday night’s protests, all experience injuries that were not life-threatening.
As demonstrators clashed with lines of riot police outside the Omni Hotel in the city centre, a loud bang was heard and people started to run screaming from the scene. Hundreds of protestors faced off against police in riot gear and some even threw fireworks.
But not all the marchers left.
Destructive protests Tuesday continued into Wednesday night when a group of protesters split from a peaceful prayer vigil and marched through downtown Charlotte.
“They say it was the tear gas, and it looked like one the tear gas exploded”.
“We’re trying to disperse the crowd”, Putney said. “We’ve been very patient, but now they’ve become very violent”.
Officials have refused to release video of the shooting of Scott by Officer Brentley Vinson – who is also African-American – and two starkly different versions have emerged as a result. Family members said Scott was reading a book in his vehicle when he was shot. 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.
On Thursday morning, Putney said there are now no plans to release the video of the confrontation to the public. The man, who was listed in critcial condition at press time, was not shot by a police officer, the city of Charlotte said on Twitter.
Putney, the police chief, was angered by the stories on social media, especially a profanity-laced, hourlong video on Facebook, where a woman identifying herself as Scott’s daughter screamed “My daddy is dead!” at officers at the shooting scene and repeating that he was only holding a book.
Neighbors, though, said that the officer who fired was white and that Scott had his hands in the air.
In the press conference, Putney said he is now focused on honoring a request from the Scott family to view the video, and appeared adamant about not releasing it publicly any time soon.
Grass Roots North Carolina President Paul Valone wrote Thursday in a memo to its supporters strongly advising them to carry these lawful firearms if they can’t avoid being in Charlotte and surrounding Mecklenburg County. The organization called on city officials to be fully transparent with any video or information that could bring light to the Scott shooting.
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“Yes we came down here to protest but we can’t tear up downtown”. Two others also suffered minor injuries. One person held aloft a sign saying: Stop Killing Us.
