Charlotte police released Saturday dashboard and body camera footage of the shooting of Keith Lamont Scott, who was shot and killed by police. Police have consistently said Scott, 43, got in and out of a auto while armed with a gun and was warned multiple times to drop the gun. It is not clear if there is anything in his hands as he backs away from his SUV before being shot.
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After the fatal shooting, Scott can be seen lying on the ground while his wife says “he better live”.
The footage along with the photos of a pistol and ankle holster recovered at the scene was released by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police. Putney said Friday that releasing it could inflame the situation and damage trust in the community.
The dash cam footage shows two officers pointing their weapons at Scott, who is inside the SUV. Scott gets out and starts walking backward before shots are fired.
The shooting on Tuesday of Keith Scott, a 43-year-old father of seven, was the latest in a series of deadly police encounters across the country in recent years that has raised questions about the use of force by U.S. law enforcement against African-Americans and other minorities. “He appears to have his hands by his side”.
In explaining his reasoning for protests-erupt-in-north-carolina-over-fatal-police-shooting-1788/”>releasing the video, Scott said he was told the State Bureau of Investigation that releasing the footage would in no way compromise the integrity of the investigation of the shooting. Instead, it must be seen in light of other evidence to create “the entire picture”.
Earlier in the week, Putney said police could not yet release footage because it could impact the investigation.
“We shouldn’t have to humanize him in order for him to be treated fairly”, said Ray Dotch, Keith Scott’s brother-in-law.
He said the most important question that should be answered is whether Scott’s actions justified the police shooting.
Amid anxiety and unease over the shooting of Scott, demonstrations in Charlotte have gone from violent to peaceful, although demands to see video of the encounter remained at the forefront of discussions for those taking to the streets.
When officers “see the weapon, and they see the marijuana, they say, ‘oh-oh, this is a safety issue for us and the public, ‘” Putney said. But then one of the officers saw him hold up a gun, the document states.
Putney reemphasized Saturday that Scott had a handgun and added that he was also in possession of marijuana.
Scott, who was sitting in a parked auto when confronted by police, was shot by Officer Brentley Vinson, who has been placed on paid administrative leave. The curfew has ended for Friday in Charlotte following a night of mostly peaceful protests of the shooting of Keith Lamont Scott by an officer. The police announcement came after hundreds of people gathered in Charlotte’s Marshall Park demanding the release of the police video footage, marching peacefully under the hot sun in, chanting and holding signs that said “Release the Tape”.
Protests erupted on the streets of the city in the wake of his death. City officials said police did not shoot 26-year-old Justin Carr, and a suspect was arrested.
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The controversy over Scott’s death has made Charlotte, North Carolina’s largest city and a financial center, the latest flashpoint in two years of tense protests over United States police killings of black men, majority unarmed.
