Charlotte protests diminish early on
Friday as family views video
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[September 23, 2016]
By Andy Sullivan and Robert MacMillan
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Reuters) - Largely
peaceful protests dwindled early on Friday in Charlotte, North Carolina,
as police chose not to enforce a curfew prompted by two nights of riots
that engulfed the city after a black man was shot to death by a police
officer.
A crowd of hundreds gathered, chanted and marched for a third successive
night in the state's largest city, demanding justice for Keith Scott,
43, who was shot dead by a black police officer in the parking lot of an
apartment complex on Tuesday afternoon.
Police fired tear gas and non-lethal projectiles to break up crowds
blocking traffic on a highway. National Guard troops backed up a robust
police presence in the town center, helping to restrain protesters
chanting "Whose streets? Our streets," as helicopters circled overhead.
The Charlotte Police Department said on Twitter that two officers were
treated after they were sprayed with a chemical agent by demonstrators
and that no civilians were injured on Thursday.
Despite the brief outbursts, the demonstrations were calmer than those
on the previous two nights. Rioters had smashed storefront windows,
looted businesses and thrown objects at police, prompting officials to
declare a state of emergency and the city's mayor to enact a curfew.
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A protester shot on Wednesday died on Thursday, nine people were
injured, and 44 were arrested in riots on Wednesday and Thursday
morning.
Scott's death is the latest to stir passions in the United States over
the police use of deadly force against black men. Protests have asserted
racial bias and excessive force by police and have given rise to the
Black Lives Matter movement.
His family viewed videos of the episode on Thursday and asked for them
to be made public, stepping up the pressure for their release.
In an interview with Reuters early Friday, Justin Bamberg, one of the
lawyers who is representing Scott's family, said the video shows that
the 43-year-old did not make any aggressive moves towards police.
"There’s nothing in that video that shows him acting aggressively,
threatening or maybe dangerous," Bamberg said.
Scott, who suffered head trauma in a bad car accident a year ago, was
moving slowly as he got out of the car, he said.
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![](../images/092316pics/news_b5.jpg)
Protesters walk in the streets downtown during another night of
protests over the police shooting of Keith Scott in Charlotte, North
Carolina, U.S. September 22, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Blake
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"He’s not an old man, but he’s moving like an old man" in the video,
Bamberg said.
Earlier in the day, Bamberg said in a statement that it was
"impossible to discern" from the videos what, if anything, Scott was
holding in his hands.
Police say Scott was carrying a gun when he approached officers and
ignored repeated orders to drop it. His family previously said he
was holding a book, not a firearm, and now says it has more
questions than answers after viewing two videos recorded by police
body cameras.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney has said the video
supported the police account of what happened but does not
definitively show Scott pointing a gun at officers.
In contrast to the tension in Charlotte, calm reigned in Tulsa,
Oklahoma, where police released a video of the fatal shooting of
Terence Crutcher, shot by police last week after his vehicle broke
down on a highway. The officer who fired her gun was charged with
first-degree manslaughter on Thursday.
U.S. President Barack Obama called the mayors of both cities on
Wednesday to offer condolences and assistance. On Thursday, he urged
protesters to maintain the peace, while still addressing concerns of
racial inequality.
(Additional reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee, editing by
Larry King)
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