Questions Remain as Police Release Videos of Fatal Shooting in Charlotte, N.C.
Release of dashcam and body-cam footage follows days of protests and demands for videos to be made public.Release of dashcam and body cam footage follows days of protests and demands for videos to be made public.Following days of demonstrations, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department on Saturday released footage of the fatal shooting of 43-year-old Keith Lamont Scott.
The release of dashboard camera and body camera footage came just one day after NBC released footage from Scott’s wife, Rakeyia Scott, of the fatal encounter last Tuesday.
Scott’s family has asserted that he was unarmed; police say he had a gun, and on Saturday also “released photos of a pistol and ankle holster recovered at the scene,” CNN reports.
In the footage from Rakeyia Scott, she is heard saying, “He doesn’t have a gun.” Police officers can be heard saying, “Drop the gun.”
Justin Bamberg, who represents the Scott family, said at news conference Saturday, “You can’t clearly identify what, if anything, is in his hand.”
Police have said Scott “posed an imminent deadly threat.” The new footage, however, questions that, as Scott is seen walking slowly backwards with his arms at his side when the round of shots was fired.
Warning: the footage contains graphic content some readers may find disturbing:
“It does not make sense to us how this incident led to loss of life,” said Ray Dotch, Scott’s brother-in-law, at the news conference.
The New York Times reports Charlotte Police Chief Chief Kerr Putney “also said that more footage would be released upon completion of an independent inquiry being conducted by the State Bureau of Investigation ‘and there has been a definitive decision on the part of the prosecutor.'”
According to the ACLU, Scott was “the 164th Black man killed by U.S. police this year.”
Wait, before you go…If you're reading this, you probably already know that non-profit, independent journalism is under threat worldwide. Independent news sites are overshadowed by larger heavily funded mainstream media that inundate us with hype and noise that barely scratch the surface. We believe that our readers deserve to know the full story. Truthdig writers bravely dig beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that tells you what’s really happening and who’s rolling up their sleeves to do something about it.
Like you, we believe a well-informed public that doesn’t have blind faith in the status quo can help change the world. Your contribution of as little as $5 monthly or $35 annually will make you a groundbreaking member and lays the foundation of our work.
Support Truthdig
Ear to the Ground
A new bill would inscribe a “right to housing” in the Golden State’s constitution.
The decision conflicts with those by three other federal appeals courts.
The lawsuit centers on two trans sprinters who have frequently outperformed their cisgender competitors.
A ProPublica investigation reveals how Border Patrol's nearly unchecked powers over the fate of migrants is tearing families apart.
The U.S. war on the free press, free speech, and dissent more generally, are all rooted in the so-called "Good War."
Gov. J.B. Pritzker's newly signed legislation seeks to break the link between income level and access to mobility and valid identification.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.