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.
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.
-
Critics’ choice: Watering holes for gourmandsFeature An endless selection of Mexican spirits, a Dublin-inspired bar, and an upscale Baltimore pub
-
Argentinian beef is at the center of American farmers’ woesThe Explainer ‘It feels like a slap in the face to rural America,’ said one farmer
-
‘Businesses that lose money and are uncompetitive won’t survive’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
France makes first arrests in Louvre jewels heistSpeed Read Two suspects were arrested in connection with the daytime theft of royal jewels from the museum
-
Trump pardons crypto titan who enriched familySpeed Read Binance founder Changpeng Zhao pleaded guilty in 2023 to enabling money laundering while CEO of the cryptocurrency exchange
-
Thieves nab French crown jewels from LouvreSpeed Read A gang of thieves stole 19th century royal jewels from the Paris museum’s Galerie d’Apollon
-
Arsonist who attacked Shapiro gets 25-50 yearsSpeed Read Cody Balmer broke into the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion and tried to burn it down
-
Man charged over LA’s deadly Palisades Firespeed read 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht has been arrested in connection with the fire that killed 12 people
-
4 dead in shooting, arson attack in Michigan churchSpeed Read A gunman drove a pickup truck into a Mormon church where he shot at congregants and then set the building on fire
-
2 kids killed in shooting at Catholic school massSpeed Read 17 others were wounded during a morning mass at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis
-
Australian woman found guilty of mushroom murdersspeed read Erin Patterson murdered three of her ex-husband's relatives by serving them toxic death cap mushrooms
