Police officers in Charlotte, N.C. gave a black man multiple warnings to drop his gun before they shot him, according Charlotte’s police chief, who is also black.
Officers arrived on the scene to see Keith Lamont Scott, a black man, inside a car at the apartment complex, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney said at a news conference Wednesday.
Scott exited the vehicle armed with a handgun and got back in the car; officers then went up to the car to engage Scott.
“The officers gave loud, clear verbal commands, which were also heard by many of the witnesses,” Putney said. “They were instructing the subject, once he got out of the vehicle,to drop the weapon.”
Scott ignored them and exited his vehicle with his handgun, according to Puntey. Officers continued to yell at Scott to drop his weapon.
“He stepped out, posing a threat to the officers and Officer Brently Vinson subsequently fired his weapon, striking the subject,” Putney said.
Officer Vinson is also a black man. After Vinson fired at Scott, the officers called for a medic and performed CPR on Scott.
Since the shooting, protesters began rioting in Charlotte and Gov. Pat McCrory began the process of calling up the National Guard. (RELATED: N.C Gov Deploys National Guard After Chaos Continues In Charlotte)
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