Police say they have arrested a suspect in the deadly shooting of a protester during demonstrations in Charlotte over an officer's killing of a black man. (Sept. 23) AP
CHARLOTTE — A state agency has officially taken over the investigation into the fatal shooting of a black man by a police officer making it unlikely that videos of the incident, which have now been viewed by the victim's family, will be released publicly in the near future, city officials said Friday.
Mayor Jennifer Roberts, who has called for the release of the footage, said at a news briefing that she is convinced its early public release could affect the integrity of the investigation of Tuesday's shooting of Keith Lamont Scott.
"When you are still gathering eyewitness accounts, they are still talking to folks. If you have already seen something on the Internet, it can cloud your memory, it can alter what you think you saw. We want eyewitnesses to tell us without being led or having their memory changed by something they heard or saw."
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police chief Kerr Putney said he supported transparency, but did not want evidence, such as the video, to be released piecemeal.
"The intent is to get it out in a package, so that it can be consumed and fully understood," he said.
In any case, Putney noted th at the issue is no longer in his hands since the case had been officially turned over to the State Bureau of Investigation, an independent body.
The video has become a central focus of three nights of protests. Demonstrators chanted "release the tape" and "we want the tape" Thursday night while briefly blocking an intersection near Bank of America headquarters and later marching to the city government center. Later, several dozen demonstrators walked onto an interstate highway through the city, but they were pushed back by police in riot gear.
After two nights of violent protests, Roberts praised demonstrators and law enforcement officers alike for the largely peaceful night Thursday. "Last night was what a lawful demonstration looks like," she said.
Putney said three police officers and one member of the National Guard was treated for minor injuries, compared to 44 arrests the previous evening.
He also said police made three arre sts, including Rayquan Borum, who is now charged in the shooting death of Justin Carr during Wednesday night's demonstration.
Roberts credited the largely peaceful evening with a heightened presence of National Guard and state troopers on the streets and the reduction in the deployment of shield-bearing police in riot gear. She noted, however, that despite the easing of tension, the curfew remained in effect for Friday night.
At the heart of the dispute were two versions of what took place outside an apartment complex Tuesday afternoon.
Protesters took to Charlotte's streets for a third straight night and defied a midnight curfew in the US city, amid heavy security aimed at preventing more clashes over the fatal police shooting of a black man. Video provided by AFP Newslook
Police claimed Scott, who was waiting in his car for his son's school bus, got out of the vehicle with a handgun and refused to obey orders to drop the weapon. He was shot, police said, after officers determined he posed an imminent, deadly threat.
Several local residents, however, claimed Scott, 43, was carrying a book, not a gun, when he stepped from the car after police approached.
Asked earlier by CNN whether the video shows Scott holding a gun, Roberts replied, "It is not a very clear picture and the gun in question is a small gun. And it was not easy to see … so it is ambiguous."
She also said that a new state law, which would deny public access to police body cam and dashcam footage without a judge's orders, would not apply to the Scott case since the shooting occurred before the law goes into effect Oct. 1.
Justin Bamberg, an attorney for Scott's family, watched the video with the relatives and said it shows Scott getting out of his vehicle calmly.
"While police did give him several commands, he did not aggressively approach them or raise his hands at members of law enforcement at any time. It is impossible to discern from the videos what, if anything, Mr. Scott is holding in his hands," Bamberg said in a statement.
Scott was shot as he walked slowly backward with his hands by his side, Bamberg said.
The lawyer said at a news conference Thursday that Scott's wife saw him get shot, "and that's something she will never, ever fo rget."
Charlotte's handling of the incident is in sharp contrast to the Tulsa police department, which quickly released to the public a video showing an officer fatally shooting an unarmed black man last week. The officer involved was charged Thursday with manslaughter in that case, which did not trigger widespread local demonstrations.
Maxwell reports for the Asheville Citizen-Times. Stanglin reports for USA TODAY from McLean, Va.
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Protesters took to Charlotte's streets for a third straight night and defied a midnight curfew in the US city, amid heavy security aimed at preventing more clashes over the fatal police shooting of a black man. Video provided by AFP Newslook
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