The videos, recorded by an officer’s body camera and a dash-cam inside a police vehicle, offer new perspectives of the September 20 incident that sparked riots and protests in the North Carolina city.
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Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney held a news conference Saturday, announcing that the video would be released.
The controversial death has made Charlotte, North Carolina’s largest city and a financial center, the latest flashpoint in two years of tense protests over USA police killings of black men, majority unarmed.
Almost a week of protests over the police killing of a black man in Charlotte, North Carolina showed no signs of abating on Sunday, after police released videos showing the victim being shot but did not answer the question of whether he had a gun.
Scott gets out, starts walking backward, and then four shots ring out.
Dashboard camera video shows two officers pointing their guns at Keith Lamont Scott, who is inside an SUV with the doors closed and windows rolled up.
He added that Scott presented a “safety issue” by possessing both marijuana and a handgun, which is what drew officers’ attention to his vehicle. They also said Scott had marijuana.
“Officer Vinson perceived Mr. Scott’s actions and movements as an imminent physical threat to himself and the other officers”.
He addressed reporters hours after several hundred demonstrators took to the street for a fifth day of protests in Charlotte’s central business district.
In a news release distributed Saturday with the videos and photos, the CMPD detailed the fatal encounter between its officers and Scott Tuesday afternoon, alleging that Scott possessed marijuana and a handgun and ignored officers’ repeated loud verbal commands to drop the gun. But the totality of evidence did, he said.
In another video shot from a dashboard camera, an officer can be seen firing as Scott backs away after exiting his auto.
“These are tough times for our city and we are going to get through it”, Putney said.
Charlotte police also released a photo of a pistol it said Scott had on him when he was shot. After Scott is shot, officers can be heard yelling “Man down!” and directing other officers to handcuff Scott.
Putney said he made a decision to release the video Saturday because, “I now have assurance that there is no adverse impact on the investigation”.
Ray Dotch, Scott’s brother-in-law, said that the family was left with far more questions than answers by the videos. A second clip reveals Scott on the ground in the moments after he was shot as officers surround him.
Putney said the police officers who surrounded Scott were on their way to serve a warrant on someone else on Tuesday when they ran into Scott, who they later shot and killed.
Police say he had a handgun. It showed the moments before and after the shooting, but not the shooting itself.
“What we are releasing are the objective facts”, he said, calling the shooting “a complex case”.
Ahead of the release, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney said they may not provide any additional clarity in the investigation.
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On Thursday, protests were largely peaceful after National Guard members came to the city to help keep order and the mayor imposed a curfew.
