Attorney General and North Carolina native Loretta Lynch urged protestors in Charlotte “to end violence which only begets violence” on Thursday morning. Protests in the city continued for a second straight night following the shooting death of Keith Scott on Tuesday afternoon. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police (CMPD) shot the man, who they say was holding a gun, in the parking lot of an apartment complex. Family members and witnesses say the disabled man was unarmed, reading a book as he waited for a school bus to drop off his son.
Protestors began circling the apartment complex where the shooting occurred on Tuesday evening. The protests moved to Interstate 85 which was blocked and several trucks were emptied of their contents. Police cars were also damaged. By Wednesday evening, rows of riot-clad police officers had attempted to corral protestors; previously using tear gas canisters to disperse the crowd, witnesses say police began firing rubber bullets. One man was critically injured. Initial reports from the police said the man had been shot by an individual and that it was a case of “civilian on civilian violence,” taking cautious steps not to implicate police in the shooting in any manner. Numerous witnesses at the scene, however, state that the injured man was shot by police who began firing into the crowd. Initial reports also stated that the man had died but it is now said that he is on life support.
The investigation into Scott’s shooting by the CMPD is continuing, albeit with contradictions, with video of the incident according to the chief of police Kerr Putney:
“The video does not give me absolute, definitive, visual evidence that would confirm that a person is pointing a gun,” Chief Putney said at a news conference.
Chief Putney has said that Mr. Scott brandished a gun before an officer, who is also black, shot him, and on Thursday he said the video supported that version of events.
"When taking in the totality of all the other evidence, it supports what we’ve heard and the version of the truth that we gave about the circumstances that happened that led to the death of Mr. Scott,” Chief Putney said.
Chief Kerr says he has no plans to release the video to the public anytime soon due to the investigation. He does however, plan to let family members of Keith Scott view the video.
Meanwhile, a local gun rights group has stated that protestors in Charlotte should exercise their right to keep and bear their legally concealed arms during the state of emergency:
A North Carolina gun-rights group says just because there's a state of emergency in Charlotte doesn't mean people there are unable to carry their concealed handgun for defense if they have a permit for one.
Grass Roots North Carolina President Paul Valone wrote Thursday in a memo to its supporters strongly advising them to carry these lawful firearms if they can't avoid being in Charlotte and surrounding Mecklenburg County. There have been two nights of violence in Charlotte stemming from the shooting of a man by a police officer.
Valone points to a 2012 federal court ruling striking down a broad state law making it a misdemeanor for people to possess or transport any dangerous weapon outside of their homes within an area where a state of emergency exists. Grass Roots was a plaintiff in the litigation.
Grass Roots counts 20,000 people among its members.
North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory declared a state of emergency in the area late Wednesday evening. No word on when it will be lifted.