2nd night of violent protests over Charlotte police shooting
THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER VIA AP
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers begin to push protesters from the intersection near the Epicentre in Charlotte, N.C. today.
THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER VIA AP
CMPD officers in riot gear block the intersection near the Epicentre in Charlotte, N.C. today.
THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER VIA AP
Debris falls upon Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers and protesters as officers began to push protesters from the intersection near the Epicentre in Charlotte, N.C. today.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Demonstrators protest Tuesday’s fatal police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott in Charlotte, N.C. today. Protesters rushed police in riot gear at a downtown Charlotte hotel and officers have fired tear gas to disperse the crowd. At least one person was injured in the confrontation, though it wasn’t immediately clear how.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Demonstrators are confronted by police at a hotel during a protest of Tuesday’s fatal police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott in Charlotte, N.C. today. Protesters rushed police in riot gear at a downtown Charlotte hotel and officers have fired tear gas to disperse the crowd.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Police fire teargas as protestors converge on downtown following Tuesday’s police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott in Charlotte, N.C., today Protesters have rushed police in riot gear at a downtown Charlotte hotel and officers have fired tear gas to disperse the crowd.
THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER VIA AP
Police stand in formation in Charlotte, N.C., Tuesday. Authorities used tear gas to disperse protesters in an overnight demonstration that broke out Tuesday after Keith Lamont Scott was fatally shot by an officer at an apartment complex.
WBTV VIA AP
In this frame from video provided by WBTV, a police vehicle is damaged after protests broke out Tuesday in Charlotte, N.C., following a fatal shooting of a black man by police.
THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER VIA AP
Officers stand in formation in front of protesters in Charlotte, N.C. on Tuesday. Authorities used tear gas to disperse protesters in an overnight demonstration that broke out Tuesday after Keith Lamont Scott was fatally shot by an officer at an apartment complex.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. » Violent protesters rampaged through parts of downtown Charlotte as anger continued to build over the deadly police shooting of a black man and the wildly different stories about what happened from authorities and the victim’s family and neighbors.
North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory declared a state of emergency Wednesday night in the state’s largest city and called in the National Guard after Charlotte’s police chief said he needed the help.
A peaceful prayer vigil turned into an angry march and then a night of violence after a man was shot and critically wounded as protesters charged police in riot gear trying to protect an upscale hotel in Charlotte’s typically vibrant downtown. Police did not shoot the man, city officials said.
The unrest took many by surprise in Charlotte, the banking capital of the South with a population of 830,000 people, about 35 percent of them black. The city managed to pull through a racially charged shooting three years ago without the unrest that erupted in recent years in places such as Baltimore, Milwaukee and Ferguson, Missouri. Police charged Randall Kerrick with voluntary manslaughter within days, but the jury at his trial couldn’t reach a unanimous verdict.
On Wednesday, hundreds of protesters who were shouting “black lives matter” and “hands up, don’t shoot” left after police fired flash grenades and tear gas after the shooting. But several groups of a dozen or more protesters stayed behind, attacking people, including reporters, shattering windows to hotels, office buildings and restaurants and setting small fires.
At one point, television news helicopters showed protesters on the loop highway around downtown, trying to stop cars for several minutes before police arrived.
“My heart bleeds for what our great city is going through,” McCrory said on WBTV-TV. He was mayor of Charlotte for 14 years before becoming governor.
Authorities said three people and four police officers were injured, but those figures had not been updated early Thursday morning. Videos and pictures on Twitter showed reporters and other people being attacked.
The violence happened amid questions about what happened Tuesday afternoon when 43-year-old Keith Lamont Scott was shot and killed in the parking lot of his condominium complex. Police did not release dashboard or body camera footage, but said Scott had a gun and refused several orders to drop his weapon. Scott’s family and neighbors said he was holding a book.
“He got out of his car, he walked back to comply, and all his compliance did was get him murdered,” said Taheshia Williams, whose balcony overlooks the shady parking spot where Scott was Tuesday afternoon. She said he often waited there for his son because a bicycle accident several years ago left him stuttering and susceptible to seizures if he stayed out in the hot sun too long.
Charlotte Police Chief Kerr Putney was angered by the stories on social media, especially a profanity-laced, hourlong video on Facebook, where a woman identifying herself as Scott’s daughter screamed “My daddy is dead!” at officers at the shooting scene and repeating that he was only holding a book.
Putney was adamant that Scott posed a threat, even if he didn’t point his weapon at officers, and said a gun was found next to the dead man. “I can tell you we did not find a book,” the chief said.
Not long after the Facebook video was posted Tuesday night, the first night of destructive protests began near the shooting scene, about 15 miles northeast of downtown Charlotte. Dozens of demonstrators threw rocks at police and reporters, damaged squad cars, closed part of Interstate 85, and looted a stopped truck and set a fire. Authorities used tear gas to break up the protests.
The distrust of police continued after Wednesday’s shooting of a protester. Many demonstrators didn’t believe officers weren’t the ones who shot the protester.
“We protesting. Why the hell would we target each other?” Dino Davis said. “They say it was the tear gas, and it looked like one the tear gas exploded. But I think it was a rubber bullet because some of those rubber bullets can penetrate.”
Calls for police to release the video increased. North Carolina has a law that takes effect Oct. 1 requiring a judge to approve releasing police video, and Putney said he doesn’t release video when a criminal investigation is ongoing.
But that video may be the only thing that calms Charlotte, said John Barnett, who runs a civil rights group called True Healing Under God, or THUG.
“Just telling us this is still under investigation is not good enough for the windows of the Wal-Mart,” he said.
After about four hours, the violence began winding down. Hotel employees and security guards immediately started cleaning up broken glass.
But Charlotte remained on edge. Bank of America told its thousands of employees working in its 60-story skyscraper to stay home Thursday.
42 responses to “2nd night of violent protests over Charlotte police shooting”
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Why doesn’t the President call for an immediate news conference to quell the violence?
Because the President and his DOJ prefer to incite this violence.
Have you been sleeping for 8 years?
It was a rhetorical question. Unfortunately, I agree with your assessment. Where is the President? I would hope people ask themselves the same question.
Same place he was on 9/11-12/2012. Missing in action.
Hillary will be more useless than Obama. Obama and his chargers are responsible more problems here and abroad than any other person.
Sad but true. It seems this president cares more about politics than this nation. It serves him and his party to divide the races and hopefully preserve the 90% black vote for this party.
Obama is trying to preserve his legacy, if he has any to begin with. He was wrong when he rushed to judgment in the Cambridge, Massachusetts, handling of a reported burglary of the home of a black Harvard University professor; he was wrong when he rushed to judgment in the Trayvon Martin case; he was wrong when he rushed to judgment in the Michael Brown case in Ferguson, Missouri; and he was wrong when he rushed to judgment in the Freddie Gray case in Baltimore. Obama may have learned his lesson and has decided not to comment about the shooting of Keith Scott in Charlotte, North Carolina, and be proven wrong again.
You are mostly correct. However, Obama is not being quiet because he “learned his lesson”. Just the opposite. He is sitting back and watching the “fruit” of his insidious labors blossom.
Your “community organizer” inaction? Seems like his inaction fuels the looting and mayhem. Hope not?
OneBigAssMistakeAmerica
Ronin006…spot on ^5
Just another excuse for the Ghetto Rat’s to burn and destroy their own city.
people who live in charlotte are ghetto rats?
He didn’t use the N word. Aren’t you proud of his restrain?
Yup, and they come in all shapes, size and color…. look at KPT. Just be thankful those rats don’t run up and down Honolulu…. just run into 7-11. I am OK with giving them money to keep them in there, hire more cops to keep them in there like Chicago is doing, its cheaper.
They are multiplying at our expense and overflowing into other neighborhoods.
I know…. state tried to put some in our townhouse complex…. they came and we, the community kept calling the cops to document, owner finally got rid of them. Good thing we had lawyers on our Association Board.
Even if he was holding a book (as the people who weren’t there said), why didn’t he drop the book? BLM will not be satisfied until a different set of rules applies to them. Those rule will mainly be that they don’t have to abide by any rules.
Sad but true
That’s happening now.
IF he had listened & complied with their instructions he would be alive today.
They don’t learn. They think they invincible. WRONG!
The media and various hate groups continue their agenda to incite riots and encourage criminal activities and anti law sentiment. It will get worse before it gets better.
All Lives Matter, because I’m colorblind.
These rioters cause the anger in police. When are they going to burn Charlotte as happened in D.C. years ago?
Failed to see the purpose to make a statement by destroying existing city structures. What’s the point? Kill a person of color means destroying everything in sight and every other good things built by others? My condolences to the victim and the family but wouldn’t it be profitable financially and emotionally going the route of suing the guilty?
Exactly. What is their purpose of looting, bashing windows, setting objects on fire etc ? Because it’s just a complete affirmative that, “yep they’re a bunch of hoodlums that people are portraying them out to be.” It’s sure as he’ll isn’t helping their plight.
It’s their chance to run off with free merchandise, they will never be charged or prosecuted.
They no learn. I’m sure some of them work in those businesses. Now, they cannot go work for who knows how long. No more paycheck. If you own one of those businesses, look at the people that are protesting. THEY damaged your business. Are they BLM people? Now you know who to blame. Next time you hear a statement by a BLM person, tell them they should pay to fix your business.
A black cop shoots a black perp for pulling a gun on him and BLM says it’s time get whitey again. If they really want racism to stop…they should stop being racists.
What do you expect with the speeches that President Obama and Hillary Clinton just gave…. Talk about inciting a riot.
RACISM stops at the WH…where it all began.
Ten-hut, fix bayonets, left face, on guard, forward march, hut one, hut two, hut three, thrust!
Agreed….Form a wedge formation, and charge.
Urban warfare is what they want, subhuman rule is their goal. Don’t handcuff our cops. Open fire at looters and destructive rioters!
No bayonets but tear gas, bean bags and rubber bullets still hurt like hell. Not to mention a good old fashioned riot stick.
Blame OBAMA..the ABSOLUTELY WORSE potus in American history.
Only positive for his legacy…1st half black/white person.
Total failure by Obama/Clinton to bridge the racial divide. In fact, they blew the bridge up. All this and they have the temerity to want to continue their travesty.
Where are the Clingons? I guess they’re going to try and pin this on Trump.
“Putney was adamant that Scott posed a threat, even if he didn’t point his weapon at officers, and said a gun was found next to the dead man. “I can tell you we did not find a book,” the chief said.”>>>So the daughter says he was just holding a book. Looking at the situation, and the parties involved, and the choices of gun or book – I don’t thing Vegas would back any odds that it was a book.
and just as I thought, in none of his other previous weapons arrest, no book was present.
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2016/09/slain-charlotte-man-had-lengthy-record.php
“Calls for police to release the video increased. North Carolina has a law that takes effect Oct. 1 requiring a judge to approve releasing police video, and Putney said he doesn’t release video when a criminal investigation is ongoing.”>>> Releasing the video doesn’t CHANGE what’s IN the video regardless of an investigation being done. Causing a lot of their own grief here.
This IS Obama’s Legacy. No President has done more harm to race relations than Obama. This has to be the Hope n Change he was talking about. I will Never, Ever Vote Democrat again.