Charlotte Police Release Video Of Keith Scott’s Fatal Shooting Under Public Pressure
Charlotte, N.C., police have released body and dashboard camera footage of the shooting of a black man after several days of demonstrations that have coalesced around demands that the public see the videos. The footage did not show whether Keith Lamont Scott was holding a gun.
A dashboard camera from a police car showed Scott, killed on Tuesday, exiting his car and backing away from it. Police shout to him to drop the gun, but it is not clear that he has anything in his hand. Then shots break out and Scott drops to the ground.
A second body camera video from an officer does not show the moment of shooting. It shows Scott outside his vehicle before he is shot. Then the officer moves and Scott is out of view until he is seen on the ground.
At a news conference earlier today Chief Kerr Putney announced he would release the photos videos, adding that these and other evidence they were releasing would corroborate the police account of how things unfolded, including that Scott was holding a gun when he was shot.
Police say the photos they released show a handgun and marijuana that were in Scott's possession.
Putney addressed reporters hours after several hundred demonstrators took to the street for a fifth day and marched around downtown Charlotte.
He said that Scott was "absolutely in possession of a handgun," and that officers also saw marijuana in his car — prompting them to act.
The video below, taken by Scott's wife, Rakeyia Scott, was released to the public on Friday but did not provide an answer on whether Scott had a gun.
The Scott family held a press conference of their own Saturday evening. Attorney Justin Bamberg said the most important question to be answered was whether the "precious seconds" between when Scott exited the vehicle and when he died "justify the shooting."
"Mr. Scott steps out of the vehicle, he does not appear to be acting aggressive, he does not appear to be making a scene, he doesn't appear to argue with the officer, he doesn't lunge at the officers, he appears to have his hands at his side," said Bamberg of the videos released by police.
Putney said that he decided to release the footage after receiving assurances from the State Bureau of Investigation that it would not impact its independent probe of the shooting.
Asked whether he expected the footage to quiet protesters, Putney responded: "The footage itself will not create in anyone's mind as to what this case represents ... the footage only supports the other information" such as forensic evidence and witness statements.
He also said that his officers didn't break the law but noted that the State Bureau of Investigation is continuing its investigation.
"Officers are absolutely not being charged by me, but again, there's another investigation ongoing," he said.
Amid anxiety and unease over the shooting of Scott, demonstrations in Charlotte have gone from violent to peaceful.
Many of the hundreds massed outside at the Charlotte police department building Saturday afternoon chanted the name "Keith Scott." The 43-year-old father of seven was shot to death by an officer earlier in the week, and police have not released dashcam and body camera video.
Protesters marched Saturday through the streets of a city on edge after Scott's shooting death. The demonstrations reached a violent crescendo on Wednesday before the National Guard was called in a day later to maintain order.
The next two nights of protests were free of property damage and violence, with organizers stressing a message of peace at the end of the week.
On Saturday, demonstrators changed, "No tapes, no peace" and raised signs including one reading "Stop Killing The Black People." Community organizers said on Friday they anticipated that protests would continue in some form until the videos were released.
Charlotte is the latest U.S. city to be shaken by protests and recriminations over the death of a black man at the hands of police, a list that includes Baltimore, Milwaukee, Chicago, New York and Ferguson, Missouri.
Earlier in the week, the Charlotte protests turned violent, with demonstrators attacking reporters and others, setting fires and smashing windows of hotels, office buildings and restaurants.
Forty-four people were arrested after Wednesday's protests, and one protester who was shot died at a hospital Thursday. City officials said police did not shoot 26-year-old Justin Carr. A suspect was arrested, but police provided few details.
On Thursday, protests were largely peaceful after National Guard members came to the city to help keep order and the mayor imposed a curfew.
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