Monday, September 26, 2016

LAW ENFORCEMENT IN AMERICA - Charlotte Police Shooting

"In Charlotte, protests and call for a boycott after a police shooting" PBS NewsHour 9/21/2016

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Protests boiled over in Charlotte, North Carolina, within hours of the fatal shooting of 43-year-old Keith Lamont Scott.  His sister said he was unarmed, but the officers say he did have a gun.  William Brangham reports on the ensuing turmoil.

GWEN IFILL (NewsHour):  It's an all-too- familiar story, in a new setting.  This time, the city of Charlotte is on edge, awaiting a second night of protests over the police killing of a black man.

The drama began with a Tuesday confrontation that sparked a night of trouble.

William Brangham begins our coverage.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM (NewsHour):  Within hours of the fatal shooting, protests boiled over in North Carolina's largest city.  The victim was 43-year-old Keith Lamont Scott.

And his sister, who didn't give her name, said he was unarmed.

WOMAN:  They said, hands up, he got a gun, he got a gun.  Pow, pow, pow, pow.  That's it.  He had no gun.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM:  Another woman, claiming to be Scott's daughter, went on Facebook, saying he'd had a book, not a gun, and also had an unspecified disability.

In short order, a crowd blocked traffic on Interstate 85, throwing rocks, and destroying police cars.  Some looted a tractor-trailer and set it on fire.  Others broke into a nearby Wal-Mart.  Police eventually used tear gas to quell the violence, but 16 officers were injured.

This morning, police chief Kerr Putney urged people to step back and be calm.

KERR PUTNEY, Charlotte Police Chief:  It's time to change the narrative, because I can tell you from the facts that the story is a little bit different as to how it's been portrayed so far, especially through social media.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM:  As Putney told it, officers had been at an apartment complex, searching for a suspect, when they saw Scott get out of a car.  They say he did have a gun, and refused to put it down.

KERR PUTNEY:  In spite of the verbal commands, Mr. Scott, as I said, exited his vehicle armed with a handgun, as the officers continued to yell at him to drop it.  He stepped out, posing a threat to the officers, and officer Brentley Vinson subsequently fired his weapon, striking the subject.



"Charlotte mayor promises police shooting investigation of ‘highest integrity’" PBS NewsHour 9/21/2016

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  The city of Charlotte, North Carolina, is on edge in the wake of a police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott and the violent protests that followed overnight.  Judy Woodruff speaks with Mayor Jennifer Roberts about unrest in the community and getting facts about the deadly confrontation.



"Soldiers stand in Charlotte’s streets amid police shooting protests" PBS NewsHour 9/22/2016

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Charlotte, North Carolina, has been reeling from the shooting death of Keith Scott by police.  The governor called a state of emergency after a peaceful protest turned violent.  A black protester was critically wounded, for which many are blaming the police.  Judy Woodruff talks to Trevor Fuller of the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners.



"Footage of Keith Scott shooting raises more questions" PBS NewsHour 9/23/2016

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Cellphone footage of police officers fatally shooting Keith Scott, taken by the victim’s wife, was released Friday.  The video comes as Charlotte city officials face mounting pressure to release the police body cam and dash cam videos.  Judy Woodruff talks to The New York Times' Yamiche Alcindor for more.

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