1 person shot during second night of protests in Charlotte


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.

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.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
This is a breaking news story, and has been updated throughout.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
Tied Supreme Court blocks church charter school
speed read The court upheld the Oklahoma Supreme Court's decision to bar overtly religious public charter schools
-
GOP megabill would limit judicial oversight of Trump
speed read The domestic policy bill Republicans pushed through the House would protect the Trump administration from the consequences of violating court orders
-
Judge scolds DOJ over Newark mayor arrest
speed read Ras Baraka was arrested during a May 9 surprise visit to a migrant detention facility
-
Trump lectures South Africa president on 'white genocide'
speed read Trump has cut off aid to South Africa over his demonstrably false genocide claims
-
Trump twists House GOP arms on megabill
speed read The bill will provide a $350 billion boost to military and anti-immigration spending and 'cuts to Medicaid, food stamps and green energy programs'
-
Trump DOJ said to pay $5M to family of Jan. 6 rioter
speed read The US will pay a hefty sum to the family of Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt, who was fatally shot on January 6
-
Trump DOJ charging House Democrat in ICE fracas
speed read Rep. LaMonica McIver is being charged with assault over a clash outside an immigration detention facility in Newark
-
Biden diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer
speed read The diagnosis hits close to home, as the former president 'dedicated much of his later career to cancer research'