The Latest: Charlotte mayor wants repeal of law on videos | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
Subscribe

Would you like to subscribe to our newsletter?

Current Conditions Partly Cloudy  9.8°C

The Latest: Charlotte mayor wants repeal of law on videos

This image made from video provided by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016 shows Keith Scott, left, moments before he was fatally shot by police in Charlotte, N.C., on Sept. 20, 2016. (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department via AP)
Original Publication Date September 28, 2016 - 6:45 AM

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Latest on protests following the shooting of a black man by a Charlotte police officer last week (all times local):

8 p.m.

Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts is calling on North Carolina lawmakers to repeal a new law that spells out guidelines for release of police camera and video recordings.

The Charlotte Observer reports (http://bit.ly/2dfSqhM) that Roberts called specifically on Wednesday for a special session to repeal HB 972. The call comes a week after Keith Lamont Scott was shot and killed by a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer.

Protesters have demanded that Roberts and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney release the video of the shooting. One video has been released so far, and a police attorney told The Associated Press that much of the video of the shooting is too gruesome to release to the public.

Senate Republican Leader Phil Berger said the mayor "botched" the city's response to the violent protests and called on her to release the videos. The ACLU also called on Roberts to release all the videos, but agreed with the mayor's call to repeal H.B. 972.

___

7 p.m.

The city of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County have terminated the state of emergency placed into effect after protests over the shooting death of a black man by a police officer last week.

A statement from the city said Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts and Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners Chairman Trevor Fuller issued the proclamation Wednesday.

Gov. Pat McCrory followed by lifting the state of emergency he imposed for the city following a request by Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney.

The shooting death of Keith Lamont Scott led to two nights of violent protests, including unrest hours after the shooting Sept. 20 and more violence in downtown Charlotte the next night.

The city had already lifted a curfew Monday.

___

6 p.m.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police say the suspicious package that led to an evacuation of their headquarters was not explosive.

Police say the package was spotted by an employee Tuesday, and a bomb-sniffing dog alerted on it. A robot removed the package from the building and it was taken to a remote location to be rendered safe.

A statement on the department's Twitter page Wednesday says the package did include indicators of an explosive device, but there was no explosive present. The tweet didn't elaborate on what was in the package, and a spokesman for police didn't immediately respond to a request for further comment.

___

5 p.m.

About 500 people have attended funeral services for the man fatally shot last week during violent protests over the shooting death of a black man by a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer.

Justin Carr was shot Sept. 21 as people protested the previous day's shooting death of Keith Lamont Scott. Carr, who was shot in the head, died Sept. 22. A suspect has been arrested in the case.

The Charlotte Observer reports (http://bit.ly/2dulchz) the Rev. Carl DelGuidace told those in attendance Wednesday that Carr's death was not fruitless. DelGuidace called Carr "one of Charlotte's heroes. He will go down in history."

Some people watched the services from another building at Our Lady of Consolation Catholic Church, just north of downtown Charlotte. Others stood outside the church.

___

2 p.m.

More than 400 marchers have gathered on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte to make what they called "a show of solidarity against racial injustice."

The Charlotte Observer reports (http://bit.ly/2dDzHz4) school officials said both students and faculty participated in Wednesday's march, the latest in an eight-day stretch of protests staged over the fatal police shooting of a black man by a black Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer. The shooting Sept. 20 occurred about a mile from the centre of the campus.

Officials said the racially diverse group marched around the campus without incident.

Students held a "die-in" last Thursday at the UNCC student union to protest the shooting death of Keith Lamont Scott.

___

1:10 p.m.

A police attorney in Charlotte is telling a media coalition that much of the video of a fatal police shooting is too gruesome to release publicly.

Media lawyer Jonathan Buchan says in an email to The Associated Press and other organizations that he has discussed the contents of the police videos with police attorney Judy Emken.

Buchan quotes Emken as saying that the only police body camera video of the fatal shooting of Keith Lamont Scott lasts about 16 minutes. About two minutes worth of video has been released, including the shooting itself.

Buchan quotes Emken as saying the remaining 14 minutes is very bloody and includes the sounds of Scott groaning as he died. Buchan says police are refusing to release that portion because of its nature, and authorities didn't show it to Scott's family.

Buchan says Emken told him that 52 officers responded to the scene in all and each had body cameras or dashboard cameras. All but one of the officers turned off their cameras as they arrived at the apartment complex where Scott was fatally shot. Buchan says Emken told him the one dashboard video and body camera video that have been released came from the same officer.

___

12:30 p.m.

Friends of the Charlotte police officer who fatally shot a black man last week say he was a former college football player with a peacemaker's heart.

Officer Brent Vinson's future now hangs in the balance as authorities determine whether he was justified in killing Keith Lamont Scott on Sept. 20. Police say Vinson shot Scott because he was armed and posed a threat. Scott's family says he wasn't armed.

The shooting has sparked protests over the last week from demonstrators who believe blacks are unfairly treated by police.

The 26-year-old Vinson, who is also black, is on administrative leave as officials review the death of Scott.

Vinson is the son of a police officer. Friends say he was someone who naturally ascended into leadership and was captain of the football team at Liberty University, where Vinson played defence.

___

9:15 a.m.

A funeral is planned for the man killed in riots last week that followed the shooting death of a black man by Charlotte police.

Local media outlets report Justin Carr's funeral is scheduled for noon Wednesday at Our Lady of Consolation Catholic Church. Receiving is set for 11 a.m.

Carr was shot in the head Sept. 21 during violent protests following the shooting death of Keith Lamont Scott. Carr died the next day, and a man faces a murder charge in his death.

___

3:20 a.m.

The local president of the NAACP says the history of the black man killed by a Charlotte, North Carolina, police officer doesn't matter because the officers who confronted him didn't know anything of it before he was shot to death.

Chapter President Corine Mack also said Tuesday that blacks typically are "demonized" after being killed by police.

Court documents say Keith Lamont Scott had a restraining order filed against him a year ago when he threatened to kill his wife and her son with a gun.

Keith Scott's wife filed the order Oct. 5, saying that law enforcement officers who encounter him should be aware that he "carries a 9mm black" gun. Police have said Scott had a handgun when they approached him at an apartment complex last week.

News from © The Associated Press, 2016
The Associated Press

  • Popular penticton News
View Site in: Desktop | Mobile