No charges will be brought against the black officer who fatally shot another black man, in Charlotte, N.C.
Mecklenburg County District Attorney Andrew Murray said in a press conference on Wednesday that “all the credible evidence” indicates that the man who was killed, Keith Lamont Scott, was armed when he was shot by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officer Brentley Vinson.
A video shown by Murray on Wednesday shows that Scott, 43, had a gun in a holster at his ankle before he was shot and killed. Scott’s DNA was found on the grip of the gun found at the scene as well, Murray said.
Other video from the scene recorded officers calling on Scott to drop his gun. At least five officers on the scene reported seeing Scott holding a gun before he was shot.
Murray said Scott ignored at least 10 commands to drop his gun.
Scott was killed on Sept. 20, 2016, outside an apartment complex. A father of seven, suffered a traumatic brain injury sustained during a motorcycle crash in 2015. He was also a convicted felon who was sentenced in 2005 to seven years in Texas for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
The CMPD was originally investigating the shooting, but the State Bureau of Investigation took over after his wife exercised her right have the independent agency do so under state law.
Following Scott’s death, Charlotte was rocked by two days of riots and protests, including the death of one man during street violence. Protests are expected following the decision not to charge Vinson.
