The police used tear gas to disperse the protesters.
Advertisement
Attorney General and North Carolina native Loretta Lynch urged protestors in Charlotte “to end violence which only begets violence” on Thursday morning. One protester was shot and remains in critical condition, but city officials said he was not shot by police.
Keith Lamont Scott was reported by family to have been reading a book when he was shot dead by police in Charlotte, North Carolina on September 20.
Meanwhile, police say the protester shot by another civilian last night died of his injuries Thursday.
The incident occurred just after 8:30 and prompted CMPD officers in riot gear to barricade the entrance to the hotel. Police said Scott refused repeated demands to drop his gun.
Bamberg said the videos, from dashboard and body cameras worn by Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers, showed Scott getting out of his vehicle when ordered to by officers. When pressed, Putney told reporters the video will be made public when he believes there is a “compelling reason” to do so. “You shouldn’t expect it to be released”, Putney added.
The latest violence and riots again highlight the tense racial relations in the US between the police and African Americans, who have long complained about racial discrimination by police and the racial profiling that often leads to the police killing of innocent black people.
Tulsa County prosecutors on Thursday charged the officer who shot Crutcher with first-degree manslaughter and issued a warrant for her arrest.
That shooting Tuesday touched off two nights of violent disturbances in Charlotte as demonstrators took to the streets protesting the death of Keith Lamont Scott. The NASCAR Hall of Fame was among the places damaged.
Several businesses in uptown such as Wells Fargo, Bank of America and Duke Energy told their employees to work from home Thursday.
After the protests were underway for about an hour, Mayor Jennifer Roberts ordered a curfew starting at midnight until 6 a.m. Chief Putney said yesterday, “The officers gave loud, clear, verbal commands which were also heard by numerous witnesses”. Pat McCrory declared a state of emergency and called in the National Guard for help. Relatives said he was unarmed and was holding a book. Police say Smith had a gun when authorities approached him, which is a stark contrast to what his family and friend say.
The video does not give me absolute, definitive visual evidence that.that would confirm that a person is pointing the gun.
“It is impossible to discern from the videos what, if anything, Mr Scott is holding in his hands”.
“It is more important than ever that we restore calm and come together, as a community, in peaceful demonstration and conversation and in constructive and non-violent ways”, he said in a statement.
“This family has questions and they deserve answers”, Bamberg said.
Ultimately, Scott’s hands were at his sides and he was slowly walking backwards, when he was shot and killed, the family said in the statement. Bamberg gave no details on what the wife saw. Police say another protester was responsible, and investigators are still trying to determine who pulled the trigger.
Protesters began gathering again on Thursday after nightfall, with some 200 people marching to chants of “release the video” and “Whose streets?” A study by the Center for Policing Equity released in July shows police used force on blacks at rates more than three times higher than for whites.
Police video in North Carolina often is hard to obtain for anyone not the subject of the recordings. “At this point, there is speculation because the videos have not been released”. “Without the video to document what actually happened, we have no way of knowing the truth”.
Advertisement
“If you think we should display a family’s worst day for public consumption, that is not the transparency we’re speaking of”, Putney said.
