The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department caved to public pressure Saturday and released dashcam and bodycam footage of the fatal shooting of a black man by a black police officer in Charlotte, N.C., last week that have sparked daily riots in the city.
The videos show police swarming Keith Lamont Smith’s car on Tuesday. Scott exits his car, and police repeatedly yell “Drop the gun.”
Smith can be seen with his hands at his sides before police fire four shots and he falls to the pavement. It is not clear in either video whether Smith was holding a gun.
On Friday video taken by Scott’s wife was released, showing the moments leading up to the shooting. In it, she can be heard pleading with police not to shoot her husband. She also says that her husband is on medication and tells him, “Keith, don’t you do it.”
While Scott’s family has said Scott was only holding a book, police maintain that Smith was holding a gun. Police released photos Saturday of what they say is a loaded handgun on the scene.
Charlotte police release photos of handgun and ankle holster found after shooting of Keith Lamont Scott pic.twitter.com/XBZUxRqfLv
— BNO News (@BNONews) September 24, 2016
Police also said they believe they found Scott in possession of marijuana.
North Carolina Gov. Pat McCory said he agreed with the Charlotte police chief’s decision to release the tapes.
“I have been assured by the State Bureau of Investigation that the release will have no material impact on the independent investigation since most of the known witnesses have been interviewed,” McCory said in a statement Saturday. “We have appreciated the ongoing dialogue and team work between state and city officials to seek public transparency while protecting the integrity of the investigation and the rights of all parties involved in this case.”
Demonstrators have taken to the streets for five days to protest Scott’s shooting, sometimes getting violent. On Tuesday and Wednesday protesters broke windows and threw objects at police. The demonstrations have since been relatively peaceful.
Charlotte is the latest city in recent years to erupt in protests following the police fatal shooting of a black man, following similar incidents in cities like Ferguson, Mo.; New York City; and Baltimore, Md.
