Keith Lamont Scott was given “loud, clear, verbal commands” to not leave his vehicle and to drop his weapon, before he was fatally shot by police officers on Tuesday evening, police in Charlotte, N.C., say, ABC News reports.
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Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney said during a press conference Wednesday morning that while witnesses and evidence indicate Keith Lamont Scott was armed with a handgun when he was shot Tuesday, Putney could not say for certain whether Scott was pointing the gun at officers.
A woman claiming to be Scott’s daughter said in a video posted on Facebook that her father was unarmed and had a book, not a gun.
Charlotte’s police chief has said the officer who shot Keith Lamont Scott was not wearing a body camera, but chief Kerr Putney also says he can not release body camera and dashboard camera video from other officers because of the ongoing investigation.
“We’re still going through all of the footage from both body-worn and dash”, Putney said regarding police video.
“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”, Putney said.
“The officers gave loud, clear, verbal commands which were also heard by numerous witnesses”, Putney said.
“The officers gave loud, clear verbal commands, which were also heard by numerous witnesses”, the police chief said. Vinson was placed on administrative leave pending the investigation. Sixteen officers were injured during the protests. She and other witnesses said Scott had a disability and did not have a gun, however, The Huffington Post was unable to independently verify the video, or reach the woman.
Barnett did not immediately name the witness.
Protesters took to the streets into Wednesday morning holding signs that said “Stop Killing Us” and “Black Lives Matter” – while chanting “No justice, no peace!”
This comes on the heels of the police shooting of unarmed black man, Terence Crutcher in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
North Carolina allows for the open carry of handguns, including having a pistol in a vehicle.
TV footage showed dozens of protesters on Interstate 85 apparently looting semi-trucks and setting their contents on fire on the highway, shutting the highway down.
Scott’s family said he wasn’t armed, ABC affiliate WSOC reported. By 5 a.m.no protesters remained in sight and I-85 was moving again. Less than 5 miles away, wooden pallets barricaded the entrance to a Wal-Mart that had apparently been looted.
This violent display of rage and sadness followed the fatal shooting of Keith Lamont Scott, 43, earlier in the day on September 20. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department tweeted that demonstrators were destroying marked police vehicles and that approximately 12 officers had been injured, including one who was hit in the face with a rock. At one point a fire flared up. The website says the closure is due to police activity.
Scott was fatally shot just before 4 p.m. Tuesday at The Village at College Downs apartment complex on Old Concord Road.
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Protests broke out Tuesday night after the shooting at an apartment complex on the city’s northeast side.
