September 22, 2016

Governor Deploys National Guard As Charlotte Police Violence Protests Continue

Keith Lamont Scott’s wife warned against violence following the death of her husband.

Chuck Burton/AP

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A man was shot and was on life support, city officials said, on Wednesday during the second night of protests following the death of Keith Lamont Scott in Charlotte. Scott, a 43-year-old black man, was shot and killed by a Charlotte police officer at an apartment complex. As protesters chanted “Hands up! Don’t shoot!”, Charlotte authorities in riot gear blocked off streets and launched tear gas to disperse crowds in the center of Charlotte’s Uptown district.

The city of Charlotte’s Twitter account attributed the unidentified man’s shooting to a “civilian on civilian” confrontation.

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory announced on Twitter that he was declaring a state of emergency and deploying the National Guard to Charlotte as police confronted demonstrators.  

Rakeiya Scott, the wife of Keith Scott, warned against violence on Wednesday, asking people to “protest peacefully.” The family is “devastated” and has “more questions than answers about Keith’s death,” Scott said in a statement. “Rest assured, we will work diligently to get answers to our questions as quickly as possible.”

 

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