The Facts:
- On Tuesday afternoon, September 20th, police in Charlotte, North Carolina were searching for an African American man who had outstanding warrants.
- According to The Washington Post, while searching for this man, officers saw Keith Lamont Scott (also African American) getting out of his car armed with what they believed to be a handgun. Police assumed that he was the suspect they were seeking.
- Scott was quickly shot by police outside an apartment complex near the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. The Post claims that Scott exited his vehicle armed with a firearm, and posed an imminent threat to law enforcement.
- His family claims that he was reading a book in his car while waiting to pick up his child from school and did not have a gun in his hand.
- According to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr-Putney, a handgun and no book, was recovered from the scene.
CNN reports that officers repeatedly told Scott to drop his firearm, but when he failed to do so, police fired gunshots at the man. The officer who shot Scott was not wearing a body camera, however, other officers on the scene were wearing cameras, says NBC News. This is important to note because the potential video footage could be utilized when this case goes to court, and after police conduct a full investigation.
Soon after this fatal incident took place, people quickly took to the streets and began voicing their opinions. While protests were initially peaceful, demonstrations in Charlotte since the shooting on Tuesday afternoon have been quite frightening.
As of Wednesday, rioters have begun looting, committing arson, and even blocking highways causing police to shut them down and take extreme measures such as wearing riot gear, spraying tear gas, and even firing rubber bullets into crowds. According to CNN, Pat McCrory, the governor of North Carolina, has declared a state of emergency in Charlotte after protests continue to persist.
We will continue to keep you updated here at HCGU.