Scott family says footage of Charlotte shooting raises 'more questions than answers'

Relatives of Keith Lamont Scott, the black man killed during an officer-involved shooting Tuesday in Charlotte, North Carolina, announced Thursday that they have viewed footage of the incident taken by police dashboard and body cameras.

In a statement released through attorney Justin Bamberg, the family said the videos left them with "more questions than answers." They said the footage showed Scott, after being asked by police to get out of his vehicle, exiting in a "very calm, non-aggressive manner," and when police gave him commands, he "did not aggressively approach them or raise his hands at members of law enforcement at any time." They said it was impossible to see if Scott had anything in his hands, and when he was shot, his "hands were by his side and he was slowly walking backwards." As "incredibly hard" as it was for them to watch the footage, the family asked the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department to release the videos "as a matter of the greater good and transparency." They also told people who want to protest to do so peacefully.

Earlier in the day, Police Chief Kerr Putney said the footage would not be released to the public, as it does not offer "definitive visual evidence" of what happened. Police say Scott had a gun and ignored requests to drop it, while his family says he had a book, not a weapon, in his hands.

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