‘Stolen-gun’ twist in NC slay by cop
The man who was shot dead by a North Carolina cop was in possession of a stolen gun he had bought from a burglar — and had faced two restraining orders filed by his wife, according to reports.
The burglar admitted he sold the gun to Keith Lamont Scott, 43, who was shot Sept. 20 by a Charlotte cop after officers noticed him with marijuana while they were serving a warrant in an unrelated case, WBTV reported, citing sources.
Meanwhile, it emerged that Scott’s wife, Rakeyia, filed for two restraining orders against him, including one late last year.
“He hit my 8-year-old in the head a total of three times with his fist,” she said in October, also warning authorities that he carried a 9mm gun, NBC Charlotte reported. “He kicked me and threaten[ed] to kill us last night with his gun. He said he is a killer and we should know that.”
In procuring an April 2004 order, she wrote: “My husband Keith Scott assaulted me several times by stabbing me in the back almost puncturing my lungs, he sliced my ear and bruised my body.”
Scott’s family has said he was unarmed last week while in his SUV, but authorities say he refused commands to drop a gun before he was shot. A loaded gun found at the scene bore Scott’s fingerprints, DNA and blood, a police source told WBTV.
“Officers did not consider Mr. Scott’s drug activity to be a priority at the time and they resumed the warrant operation,” a police statement claims. “A short time later, Officer [Brentley] Vinson observed Mr. Scott hold a gun up.
“Due to the combination of illegal drugs and the gun Mr. Scott had in his possession, officers decided to take enforcement action for public safety concerns.”
Police did not capture key video footage of the fatal shooting because a responding officer apparently didn’t turn on his body camera until after Scott had been shot — a violation of department policy, WBTV reported.
Uniformed cops must activate their body cams before interactions with citizens that involve traffic stops, suspicious vehicles, “voluntary investigative contact” and arrests.