Protest erupts over fatal police shooting of black man in Charlotte

Rasa - Angry protests have erupted in Charlotte, North Carolina after police announced they had fatally shot an apparently black, disabled man while looking for another person.

News ID: 423754

Date: 21 September 2016 - 13:22

RNA - Officers were serving a warrant for a different man at an apartment complex in Charlotte on Tuesday, but killed Keith Lamont Scott, 43.

Shortly after the incident, crowds gathered near the complex, carrying signs that read "Black Lives Matter" and chanting "No justice, no peace."

Corine Mack, president of the Charlotte chapter of the NAACP (The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), said the community is frustrated.

"When will our lives truly matter? A black father is dead. There are children tonight who will never see their father again," said Mack, who was attending the protest.

"It clearly appears as if our lives don't matter. We need to change policies. We need to change procedure. We need to hold police accountable. It's a modern day lynching. Charlotte is not a good place right now, we're in the throes of his problem."

Police said that the man was armed and that they recovered his weapon, but a witness said, "Cops shot him for nothing.”

"At this point, all we know [is] they're in the apartment complex parking lot, and this subject gets out with a weapon," Police Chief Kerr Putney. "They engage him, and one of the officers felt a lethal threat and fired his weapon because of that."

Promotions were also posted Tuesday night protesting "police brutality and institutional racism affecting our community" for noon in front of the UNC-Charlotte Student Union.

The protesters threw water bottles and rocks at officers, who then fired tear gas to disperse them.

A dozen officers were injured during the angry demonstration, including one who was hit in the face by a rock.

"Demonstrators surrounded our officers who were attempting to leave scene" and the Civil Emergency Unit was dispatched "to safely remove our officers," the police department said on Twitter.

The city mayor said that a full investigation would be conducted into the shooting to find out the truth about the incident.

111/847/C