Attorneys representing the family of Keith Lamont Scott said Scott’s wife was there when he was shot and killed Tuesday afternoon by a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer.
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Authorities tried to quell public anger and correct what they characterized as false information on Wednesday as Charlotte dealt with a second night of violent protests, adding itself to the list of US cities that have erupted in violence over the death of a black man at the hands of police.
It is impossible to discern from the videos what, if anything, Mr. Scott is holding in his hands. “For those who wish to protest, we urge you to do so peacefully”.
Scott’s family has said he was holding a book – not a gun.
“He showed us the video immediately, told us the accounts of the officer, answered questions, so there were not all these questions like there are in Charlotte”, said Matthews.
Scott was shot as he walked slowly backward with his hands by his side, Bamberg said. His family was shown the footage Thursday and demanded that police release it to the public.
Justin Bamberg, an attorney for Scott’s family, watched the video with the slain man’s relatives. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney told reporters Thursday there is no definitive visual evidence that Scott ever pointed a gun at the officers.
Authorities said Wednesday night’s shooting was between two civilians. He didn’t into too many details about his thoughts on the tape, and said that he wouldn’t be releasing it to the public.
The police alleged that officer Brentley Vinson, also an African American, shot and killed Scott at an apartment complex Tuesday afternoon while searching for someone with an outstanding warrant because Scott was holding a gun when he exited his auto.
“It is not a very clear picture and the gun in question is a small gun”.
Police did not release the officers’ names or say what the chemical may have been.
It was incredibly hard for members of the Scott family to view these videos, but as a matter of the greater good and transparency, the Scott family asks that the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department publicly immediately release both of the videos they watched today.
Other cities have released footage of police shootings.
By Thursday evening, more than 50 arrests had been made in connection to the violence and destruction, but police said they were still investigating Carr’s death.
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In Tulsa, Oklahoma, within days of a white officer fatally shooting an unarmed black man whose vehicle had stalled in the center of a road, the public was privy to several videos, including from a police helicopter as well as from the dashboard of a cruiser.
