Doubts remain after Charlotte police shooting video released
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Charlotte police released dramatic video Saturday that shows officers with guns drawn surrounding a black man with his hands at his side before shots are fired and he buckles and falls. It's unclear if there was anything in the man's hands in the footage, which has done little to assuage his relatives.
The footage of the fatal police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott was released amid days of protests, including an outpouring by hundreds earlier Saturday, which coalesced around demands for the public to see the video. Police said Scott had a gun, though residents have said he was unarmed.
In the dashboard camera video released Saturday night, Scott could be seen slowly backing away from his SUV with his hands down, and it's not apparent if he's holding anything. Four shots are heard, and he falls to the ground.
Police also released photos of a handgun from the scene, saying it was loaded and contained Scott's DNA and fingerprints. They also said Scott had marijuana.
The dashboard camera footage starts with a police car pulling up as two officers point their guns at Scott, who is inside the SUV with the doors closed and windows rolled up. Scott gets out and starts walking backward before shots are fired.
From a different angle, newly released police body camera footage shows an officer approach with his gun drawn and another officer already pointing his gun at Scott. When Scott comes into view, his hands are at his side and he's standing beside his SUV. The body camera footage doesn't show the moment shots are fired, and Scott is next seen on the ground.
An attorney for Scott's family, Justin Bamberg, said the footage leaves questions unanswered more than it provides clarity.
"One of the biggest questions," Bamberg said, "is do those actions, do those precious seconds, justify this shooting?"
Ray Dotch, Scott's brother-in-law, objected to reporters' questions about Scott's background, saying he shouldn't have to "humanize him in order for him to be treated fairly."
"What we know and what you should know about him is that he was an American citizen who deserved better," he added.
Before releasing the footage, Chief Kerr Putney said at a news conference that he received assurances from the State Bureau of Investigation that making it public wouldn't impact the state's independent probe of the shooting.
Asked whether he expected the footage to calm protesters, Putney responded: "The footage itself will not create in anyone's mind absolute certainty as to what this case represents and what the outcome should be. The footage only supports all of the other information" such as physical evidence and statements from witnesses and officers.