Temako McCarthy, whose son LaReko Williams died in 2011 after he was tasered by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police, arrived at the complex Wednesday afternoon to show solidarity with Scott’s family.
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City officials said the shooting was not due to a police officer and instead was a civilian who shot another civilian. The officer who shot Crutcher, Betty Shelby, said she believed Crutcher was under the influence of something and she felt threatened when she thought he was going for his gun.
Police dashcam video shows 43-year-old Keith Scott getting out of the auto with a gun in his hand as he approached officers, sources confirmed to Channel 9.
“It’s time to change the narrative, because I can tell you from the facts that the story’s a little bit different as to how it’s been portrayed so far, especially through social media”, he said. In the interim, we need African American Pastors and leaders to rise to this challenge and speak with a sound system to this group of protestors, calling for restraint and to be respectful in their protest.
Following the shooting, a large crowd of protesters gathered near the university campus.
Protests had swelled Tuesday evening as news of the shooting spread, with demonstrators carrying signs that read “Black Lives Matter” and chanting “No justice, no peace!”
The Charlotte protest came on the heels of hundreds of protesters rallying Tuesday night outside police headquarters in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma, following the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man Friday by police. Scott, who was not the suspect they were seeking, got out of the vehicle holding a “firearm”, then went back in, according to police. Police deployed gas to disperse the crowd. “The suspect exited the vehicle with a handgun, threatening officers”, stated Chief Putney.
Charlotte City Councilman Kenny Smith (District 6) confirmed that seven CMPD officers were injured during the protests and taken to area hospitals. “Hopefully we will have peaceful protests and do things the Charlotte way”.
“You can have a right to have a gun, but not to pull it out when you’re told to stay in the auto”, he said. I can also tell you we did not find a book that has been made reference to.
Sixteen officers were injured late on Tuesday and early Wednesday as police in riot gear clashed with demonstrators who hurled stones, set fires and briefly blocked an interstate highway. He has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation, which is standard procedure in officer-involved shootings. The advocacy group also demanded an explanation for why Vinson was not wearing a body camera. A family member has claimed he was unarmed and reading a book when officers first approached him. The shooting opens wounds for activist and NCCU Student Ajamu Dillenhunt, who remembers the shooting death of Jonathan Ferrell by Charlotte officer Randall Kerrick three years ago.
Some witnesses said Scott was sitting in a auto reading a book waiting for a school bus to drop off his son.
Family members say Scott was disabled and wouldn’t have it in his heart to hurt police officers.
Adams said she had been in touch with elected officials in Charlotte and was prepared to return to the city from Washington if her presence was warranted.
“My daddy didn’t do nothing; they just pulled up undercover”, she said in the video. Among other reasons, he cited a new North Carolina law that prohibits police departments from releasing police video without a court order.
There were hints earlier Wednesday that Charlotte would suffer a second night of destruction. When the protest reached the EpiCentre in Charlotte, that’s when the situation appeared to turn violent.
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After the shooting, protesters began throwing bottles, dirt clods and fireworks at the officers.
