2 people killed in small plane crash at New Jersey airport Police release video of shooting but doubts remain
ALEXANDRIA TOWNSHIP >> State police say two people were killed when a small plane crashed at a New Jersey airport.
The crash at Sky Manor Airport in Alexandria Township occurred around 12:30 p.m. Sunday.
It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the crash. No one on the ground was injured. The victims were not identified.
Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Arlene Salac said the Mooney M20 plane stalled while trying to land and crashed into a field.
State police and the FAA will investigate the crash.
The New Jersey crash comes the same day as officials near Buffalo, New York, announced fatalities after two small planes collided in the air and crashed in North Collins.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Newly released police video of a black man’s fatal shooting hasn’t settling questions about whether he threatened police with a gun before he was killed.
Nightly protests have taken place in the shaken city of Charlotte, North Carolina, since Keith Lamont Scott’s death on Tuesday. But Sunday’s NFL game in Charlotte opened without interruption.
A group of around 100 demonstrators have gathered across the street from Bank of America Stadium where the Carolina Panthers faced the Minnesota Vikings.
When the national anthem was played, the protesters all dropped to one knee as many NFL players have been doing for weeks to call attention to issues, including police shootings. Inside the stadium, Carolina safety Marcus Ball raised his fist during the anthem.
Police maintain that Scott had a gun, though residents have said he was unarmed. It’s not apparent in the video if he’s holding anything shortly before he was shot. The dramatic video released by Charlotte police shows officers with guns drawn surrounding the man just before the shooting.
In the dashboard camera video released Saturday night, Scott could be seen slowly backing away from his SUV with his hands down. Four shots are heard in quick succession, and he crumples to the ground mortally wounded.
After the police vehicle dashboard camera and police body-cam videos were released, a fifth day of protests against Scott’s fatal shooting was largely peaceful. Police blocked off downtown streets late into the night as they had throughout the day, allowing demonstrators to take over roadways without confrontations with vehicles.
Police also released photos on Saturday of what they said was a loaded handgun found at the scene, adding it bore Scott’s DNA and fingerprints. They also said Scott had marijuana.
Relatives and their attorney said their questions aren’t answered by the release of partial police video footage.
“There is no definitive evidence in this video as to whether or not there is an object in his hand, and if there is, what that object is,” said Justin Bamberg, an attorney for Scott’s family. “But what we do know is that the moment Mr. Scott is shot, it appears as though he’s not aggressively moving toward law enforcement; he’s actually doing the opposite. He’s passively stepping back.”
Ray Dotch, Scott’s brother-in-law, said some reporters had been looking into Scott’s background but added that background shouldn’t matter.
“What we know and what you should know about him is that he was an American citizen who deserved better,” he said.
The dashboard camera footage opens 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 begins 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.
Police Chief Kerr Putney said that Scott was “absolutely in possession of a handgun.”
Police officers didn’t break the law but the State Bureau of Investigation continues to pursue the case, he said.
“Officers are absolutely not being charged by me at this point, but again, there’s another investigation ongoing,” Putney said.
A police narrative released along with the video gives the most complete account yet by the agency of what brought Scott to police attention.
Two plainclothes officers in an unmarked vehicle were preparing to serve a warrant on someone else when Scott pulled up and parked next to them, according to the document.