One person was shot Wednesday during the second night in a row of protests in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The person was originally reported to have died, but the city of Charlotte confirmed that the unidentified victim is on life support and in critical condition. Officials say the shooting was civilian-on-civilian, and that at least one officer has sustained minor injuries and several people have been arrested. The demonstrators are protesting the fatal officer-involved shooting of Keith Lamont Scott, a 43-year-old black man, on Tuesday. Wednesday's protest started peacefully, The Charlotte Observer reports, but it turned chaotic, with a small group of protesters kicking cars and throwing bottles and police officers firing tear gas into the crowd. At one point, reporters were told by police to leave quickly, because explosives had been used and their lives were in danger. Late in the night, Gov. Pat McCrory (R) declared a state of emergency, saying he will deploy the National Guard to assist local police.
Police say that on Tuesday, an officer opened fire after Scott emerged from his car with a gun after being asked to drop the weapon multiple times. Scott's family says he did not have a gun, but rather a book in his hand, and he was waiting for his son to come home from school; police say they seized a handgun from the scene. During protests later that day, one demonstrator and more than a dozen police officers were injured.
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