Protesters chanted “We want the tape!” and questioned why the public couldn’t see the police footage surrounding Scott’s shooting. Police have said he was armed, but witnesses say he held only a book.
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Scott’s wife, Rakeyia Scott, tells officers that he has a TBI, or traumatic brain injury. At one point, she tells her husband to get out of the auto so police don’t break the windows. “I can also tell you we did not find a book that has been made referenced to”. “I hope to get some kind of answer” about what happened to Scott. She continues recording and asks if an ambulance has been called. The officers stand over Scott. It’s unclear if they are checking him for weapons or attempting to give first aid. Scott didn’t own a gun or habitually carry a gun, family attorney Justin Bamberg said. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has joined calls for the police in Charlotte to release the footage.
The family did urge in a statement Thursday night, for those who wish to protest please do so peacefully. Guard members with fatigues and rifles walked through a plaza near the headquarters of Bank of America.
The decision to withhold the video from the public was criticized by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and members of the clergy from the Charlotte area.
The family said the video showed Scott acting calmly and nonaggressively Tuesday, the day he was shot.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney has also said that the video evidence he reviewed does not show “definitive, visual evidence that would confirm that a person is pointing a gun”. “At this point, there is speculation because the videos have not been released”. McCrory declared a state of emergency for the city which gives the authority for the curfew that has now been issued. “We can not tolerate the destruction of property and will not tolerate the attacks towards our police officers that are occurring right now”, Governor Pat McCrory told CNN after activating the National Guard and the state highway police. Cooper, a Democrat, is running for governor in November.
The killing was the latest in a long series of controversial fatal police shootings of black men across the United States, sparking more than two years of protests asserting racial bias and excessive force by police and giving rise to the Black Lives Matter movement.
“I want you to be professional and to protect our city”, Kerr Putney told a room full of soldiers and officers.
Meanwhile, Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts said that the city was considering the introduction of a curfew to get a grip on the violence – an idea rejected by Police Chief Putney. Some of the officers were not in uniform, but had vests or jackets that said “police” on the front and back, Walther said.
Charlotte police have not said whether they will release the videos to the public.
Trietley says the Homicide Unit is investigating Carr’s death.
In an interview with CNN, Ms Roberts said she thought the curfew was the most effective way to maintain peace in the city.
In all, nine protesters and two officers were injured as clashes broke out, shutting down a transport hub in the city, officials said.
Justin Carr, 26, died after he was caught in the gunfire, which police said erupted during a “civilian-on-civilian” confrontation. A suspect was arrested, but police provided few details.
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Scott’s family said in the statement the video shows him complying with officers’ commands in a “very calm and non-aggressive manner”, according to the statement.
