Keith Scott Shooting: Charlotte mayor calls for release of footage

After a largely peaceful night of protests, Mayor Jennifer Roberts said Friday the video of the shooting of a black man that has been viewed by the victim's family is "inconclusive" and called for it to be released publicly.

Protests erupted after Keith Lamont Scott, 43, was fatally shot Tuesday afternoon by a black plainclothes officer outside an apartment complex where police were serving a warrant.

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 was carrying a book, not a gun, when he stepped from the car after police approached.

Roberts, speaking to CNN after a third night of protests, said she viewed the video of the killing and that officials want other community leaders to view it.

"I would like to have it released," she said, adding that while she did not have the authority to make that happen "I think it is only a matter of time."

"I understand the community's desire (to see the footage) and I echo the view of our police chief that the videos are inconclusive," she told CNN.

Asked by the news network in an earlier interview whether she saw 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 cautioned, however, that authorities want to make sure before they release the footage that the integrity of the investigation of Scott's death is not jeopardized by, for example, affecting the view of witnesses as to what happened in the incident.

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 forget.”

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.

In Charlotte, a third night of protests was largely peaceful, a marked change from violent demonstrations Tuesday and Wednesday night in which some protesters smashed windows, looted stores and hurled objects at police.

The only major incident Thursday night came when protesters confronted police after demonstrators briefly blocked Interstate 277. At one point, protesters withdrew after police used tear gas in response to someone throwing a bottle in their direction, The Charlotte Observer reported.

Although a curfew, announced at 9 p.m., went into effect at midnight Thursday, officers did not move against protesters who ignored the order. Roberts suggested police may have held back out of concern that many of the protesters may not have been aware of the last-minute announcement.

"It was hard to get the information out to all the folks," she said.

Roberts also credited the largely peaceful evening with a heightened presence of National Guard and state troopers on the streets and the absence of a heavy presence of shield-bearing police in riot gear.

Still, the mayor said a curfew would again be in place Friday night.

[US Today]