Wednesday’s protests began peacefully, the chief said, but about 8 p.m. demonstrators began jumping on cars and damaging property at EpiCentre, an entertainment hub uptown.
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Mayor Jennifer Roberts signed documents Thursday night to put in effect a curfew from midnight until 6 a.m.
Demonstrators chanted “release the tape” and “we want the tape” Thursday while briefly blocking an intersection near Bank of America headquarters and later climbing the steps to the door of the city government centre.
Charlotte Police Chief Kerr Putney said earlier Thursday he won’t release the body and dashboard camera video while the criminal investigation into Tuesday’s shooting continues. Police have said Scott was armed with a handgun and refused multiple commands to drop the weapon before he was shot.
The Scott family said that when police told Scott to exit his vehicle he did so in “very calm, non-aggressive manner”. The police chief said a gun was found next to the dead man, and there was no book. When he was shot and killed, Mr. Scott’s hands were by his side and he was slowly walking backwards.
Family members of Keith Lamont Scott have watched the two videos of his shooting by a police officer, after they requested officials in the city of Charlotte to let them see them.
Initially, police in Charlotte said that they could not legally release the body camera video of Scott’s shooting, citing a state law passed by the Republican legislature this year that bans the release of body camera footage without a court order.
The statement released to news media said: “After watching the videos, the family again has more questions than answers”.
Members of Scott’s family were able to watch the video Thursday. Shots were not fired by police, officials said.
Riot police push protesters off the highway during another night of protests over the police shooting of Keith Scott in Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. September 22, 2016. “We know what law enforcement says is on the video”.
Manberg said the Scott family does not agree with recent rioting in the Queen City, but support citizens’ right to voice their anger.
The family statement says it is “impossible” to tell if he is holding anything in the videos. Bamberg, along with attorney Charles Monnett, represented the family and spoke on their behalf.
However, more fatal police shootings being caught on camera does not mean that the public is seeing more of those videos than previous year. Putney said the video does not show Scott pointing a gun.
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“The facts and truth lead me to believe that the version [of Carr’s death] we gave initially is the actual truth”, Putney said.
