The New York Times, after speaking with those in Charlotte who have been protesting Scott’s death, reports that the footage, narrative, and photos are unlikely to satisfy concerns over the case, particularly since, as Chief Putney acknowledged on Saturday, police have not released all evidence pertaining to the case, including all the video footage they have – though Putney said everything would be released eventually.
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“I have decided that we’re at a stage where I can release additional information without adversely impacting [the State Bureau of Investigation’s] investigation”, the police chief said in a statement. They’ve so far refused to do so.
Black Lives Matter campaigners are using the protests to demand police “release the tapes” of the fatal shooting hours after the victim’s family brought out its own video of the tragic incident. It shows Scott standing outside his vehicle before he is shot, but it is not clear whether he has something in his hand. They also said Scott also had marijuana. The body camera footage doesn’t show the moment the shots are fired, and Scott next comes into view already on the ground.
In the latest twist to what has been a battle to establish the precise circumstances that led to the shooting of Keith Lamont Scott – an incident that has led to days of successive protests in Charlotte – the man’s widow made public the video she recorded at the scene. In a press conference shortly after the videos were released, the family’s attorney, Justin Bamberg, called the footage inconclusive.
Shortly afterwards gunshots can be heard, but the actual shooting is not caught on camera. She tells police that her husband has a traumatic brain injury as they scream for him to put down a gun.
The officer is then heard calling for a baton, and Rakeyia Scott pleads with her husband, “Keith, don’t let them break the windows”.
An officer is heard shouting: “Hands up!”
“I’m not coming near you, I’m gonna record you”, his wife says.
“Don’t shoot him, he has no weapon!” His family says he was holding a book.
Representatives for the police department and the mayor’s office did not immediately return emails from The Associated Press seeking comment.
Someone shouts “drop the gun” several times before Scott exits his SUV. The 43-year-old black man was shot to death by a black officer earlier in the week, and police have not released dashcam and body camera video. Her video shows the moments leading up to the killing of her husband.
“The debate over the videos” release has caused unrest in the North Carolina city, sparking four nights of demonstrations from community members chanting “Release the tapes!”
The controversy over Scott’s death has made Charlotte, North Carolina’s largest city and a financial centre, the latest flashpoint in two years of tense protests over USA police killings of black men, a lot of them unarmed.
Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts signed documents on Thursday night (Friday NZT) to be in effect from midnight until 6am each day that the state of emergency declared by the governor continues. Police Capt. Mike Campagna told reporters that officers would not seek to arrest curfew violators as long as they were peaceful. “They (officers) were reacting to what they saw and they have a duty to do so”, Putney said. Gov. City officials said police did not shoot 26-year-old Justin Carr. A suspect was arrested, but police provided few details.
Scott’s DNA and fingerprints were on the gun, police said. The family say the release of the footage raises more questions. But the family said that he was reading a book and did not carry a gun. Scott then got out of the auto, a police statement said. “You do see something in his hand, but it’s impossible to make out from the video what it is”. “When he was shot and killed, Mr Scott’s hands were by his side and he was slowly walking backwards”.
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Meanwhile, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has postponed a visit to Charlotte, scheduled for Sunday.
