1 person shot during second night of protests in Charlotte

Protesters in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Wednesday night.

(Image credit: Brian Blanco/Getty Images)

last updated 22 September 2016

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.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox