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keith lamont scott death

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A video showing the moment Keith Lamont Scott was shot dead by a police officer in Charlotte, North Carolina, has been made public.

The moment was captured on video by Keith Lamont Scott’s wife, who can be heard pleading with officers: “Don’t shoot him!”

In the footage, Rakeyia Scott tells her husband to get out of his car as Charlotte police surround him.

The video does not show the actual shooting, or make clear if Keith Lamont Scott was carrying a gun, as police say.

Officers can be heard urging the black man to “drop the gun” but his wife is heard telling them he is unarmed.

On September 23, a few hundred protestors took to the streets, but the demonstrations was smaller than on the previous three nights.

They chanted “No justice, no peace” and “Release the video” – a call for the police to release their dash-cam and body-cam images of the incident.

North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory has declared a state of emergency in the city, and a midnight curfew has been imposed for a second night running, after rioters looted businesses and threw objects at police on September 20 and 21.

Unnamed police sources told local media and CNN a gun found at the scene was loaded and had Keith Lamont Scott’s fingerprints and DNA on it. But the police have said nothing officially.

Charlotte city leaders have been under mounting pressure to release their footage of this week’s shooting.

Hillary Clinton joined the chorus, adding: “We must ensure justice and work to bridge divides.”

Her campaign team had said the Democratic presidential candidate would visit Charlotte on September 25, but later announced the visit was being postponed until October 2 after discussion with community leaders “as to not impact the city’s resources”.

In the clip, an officer is heard shouting: “Hands up!”

Image source Facebook

Image source Facebook

Keith Lamont Scott cries: “Don’t shoot him. Don’t shoot him. He has no weapon. He has no weapon. Don’t shoot him.”

An officer says: “Don’t shoot. Drop the gun. Drop the gun.”

Rakeyia Scott says: “He doesn’t have a gun. He has a TBI [Traumatic Brain Injury]. He just took his medicine.”

Family lawyers have previously said Keith Lamont Scott suffered head trauma in a car accident last year.

Seconds later shots ring out in the clip, and Keith Lamont Scott rushes forward shouting: “Did you shoot him? He better not be dead!”

Keith Lamont Scott – a 43-year-old father-of-seven – was fatally shot in an apartment complex car park on September 20 by police who were searching for another person wanted for arrest.

There are conflicting accounts of his death – police say Keith Lamont Scott was armed and that a pistol was recovered at the scene; his family says he was holding a book.

His mother, Vernita Scott Walker, told South Carolina broadcaster WCSC he was probably reading the Koran.

She said he read the Islamic holy book every day, often while waiting for his son to get off the bus.

“That’s what he was reading because he loved to read that book,” said Vernita Scott Walker.

At a press conference on September 23, officials defended their refusal to release body-cam and dash-cam video of the shooting.

Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts told reporters: “I do believe the video should be released – the question is on the timing.”

She said the video was “inconclusive” as to whether Keith Lamont Scott was holding a gun.

City Police Chief Kerr Putney said the video alone does not provide sufficient evidence of probable cause for the shooting.

Releasing it without “context” could only inflame the situation, he added.

Critics have accused Charlotte authorities of a lack of transparency, compared with the swift action taken after a police shooting in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where Officer Betty Shelby has been charged.

Charlotte police said they arrested a suspect in September 21 fatal shooting of a protester, Justin Carr, in the city.

The alleged gunman was identified as Rayquan Borum.

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The city of Charlotte, North Carolina, has been rocked by protests for a third night after African-American Keith Lamont Scott was shot dead by a black police officer on September 20.

September 22 protest was largely peaceful after violence a day earlier during which one person was fatally shot.

Keith Lamont Scott’s family dispute police allegations he was armed and want video recording to be released.

Excessive police force used against black men has been the subject of protests for two years across the US.

Image source Facebook

Image source Facebook

On September 20, Keith Lamont Scott was killed in Charlotte after police say he refused to drop a gun he was carrying. His family say he was unarmed and holding a book.

Police have released a video of the shooting to the family, but have refused to make it public.

The family’s lawyer, Justin Bamberg, said no gun was visible in the video and Keith Lamont Scott appeared to be “acting calm”.

“You do see something in his hand, but it’s impossible to make out from the video what it is.”

Police chief Kerr Putney said the video proved the shooting was justified, telling Fox news: “The officer perceived his failure to comply with commands, failure to drop the weapon and facing the officers as an imminent threat.”

On September 22, demonstrators protesting against Keith Lamont Scott’s death defied a curfew put into force by the city’s mayor on the same day – running from midnight to 06:00.

Cpt. Mike Campagna said officers did not enforce the curfew as protests were largely peaceful, with some on the street singing gospel songs.

However, Charlotte police reported two officers were injured.

Hundreds of National Guard troops were deployed on the streets of Charlotte to protect the city against further violence and property damage.

It followed September 21 protest during which protesters smashed windows of hotels and restaurants, set fires, and attacked reporters.

Peaceful demonstrations took place in the aftermath of last week’s shooting in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

On September 22, Officer Betty Shelby was charged with manslaughter for shooting unarmed African-American Terence Crutcher.

Prosecutors said Betty Shelby’s decision to shoot Terence Crutcher was “unreasonable”.

Video of the Tulsa incident shows Terence Crutcher with his hands up, leaning against the car.

Betty Shelby said Terence Crutcher had not followed her commands and she had opened fire when he began to reach into his car window.

As well as being shot, Terence Crutcher was also struck with a stun gun by another officer.

Betty Shelby’s lawyer, Scott Wood, has said she believed Terence Crutcher was under the influence of the synthetic drug PCP. A vial of the drug was found in the car.

Terence Crutcher’s family have disputed Betty Shelby’s claim, arguing that his window was closed at the time of the incident.

Police have said no gun was found on Terence Crutcher or inside his vehicle.

The DoJ has also opened a separate investigation to see if Terence Crutcher’s civil rights were violated.

Officer Betty Shelby faces a minimum of four years in prison.

After the charge, a small group of demonstrators gathered in Tulsa to demand a harsher sentence.

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North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory has declared a state of emergency in the city of Charlotte, as violent protests continue over the police killing of African-American Keith Lamont Scott.

Violence erupted for a second night after Keith Lamont Scott was shot dead by a black officer on September 20.

One protester is in a critical condition after a “civilian on civilian” shooting, the city said.

Keith Lamont Scott was the third black man killed by police in a week. Such shootings have sparked huge protests recently.

Photo Getty Images

Photo Getty Images

Riot police in Charlotte used tear gas as they faced hundreds of protesters. The local police department said four officers were injured.

The North Carolina governor said he had “initiated efforts” to deploy the national guard and highway patrol to help deal with the protests.

“Any violence directed toward our citizens or police officers or destruction of property should not be tolerated,” Pat McCrory said.

The protesters are angry that 43-year-old Keith Lamont Scott was killed by police at a block of flats in disputed circumstances.

Police were serving an arrest warrant on another person when they say they saw Keith Lamont Scott get out of a car with a handgun.

Officers say Keith Lamont Scott was repeatedly told to drop his handgun before he was shot but his family say he was reading a book, as he waited for his son to be dropped off by the school bus.

Dash-cam footage of the incident will be viewed by Charlotte’s mayor but not released to the public “at that time”, the city said.

It is legal to openly carry a handgun in North Carolina, but a special permit is required to carry a concealed weapon.

Gov. Pat McCrory declared the state of emergency as rioters clashed with police, breaking windows and setting small fires.

The second night of protests had begun peacefully but the demonstration was interrupted by gunfire and a man in the crowd was injured.

The city initially said the man had been killed but then issued a clarification.

Demonstrators then threw bottles and fireworks at the officers, who were lined up in riot gear. Police fired flash grenades and tear gas to repel the crowds.

Several journalists were also reportedly attacked. A reporter and cameraman for Charlotte’s WCNC-TV were taken to hospital and a CNN journalist was tackled on live TV, local media report.

Police in Charlotte defended their actions in the death of Keith Lamont Scott by insisting he had been repeatedly warned to drop his gun.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney told a news conference Keith Lamont Scott first got out of the car with a gun, then got back into his vehicle when officers told him to drop his weapon.

He was shot when he emerged from his car holding his weapon. The police chief was unable to say if Keith Lamont Scott had been pointing his weapon at officers.

After her father’s death, Keith Lamont Scott’s daughter posted a video on Facebook in which she said her father had been unarmed and reading a book.

Kerr Putney said no book was found.

Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts voiced her shock at the violent protests, which saw 16 police officers injured on September 20.