CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — Charlotte lifted its midnight curfew, signaling movement toward normalcy after a state of emergency was imposed after the shooting death of a black man by police last week that brought National Guard troops and armored vehicles to downtown street corners.
A weekend without street violence was highlighted Sunday as the city hosted the NFL game between the Carolina Panthers and the Minnesota Vikings without interruption.
Still, protests continued for a sixth day since 43-year-old Keith Lamont Scott was shot and killed Tuesday after a confrontation with Charlotte police. The first two nights of protests were violent, with demonstrators smashing windows, blocking part of an interstate through downtown, and burning the contents of a tractor-trailer. More than a dozen police officers were injured.
Protesters clambered onto Interstate 277 through the city’s downtown Sunday night and tried to block traffic until police arrived. The protesters ran, but one fell in front of an all-terrain vehicle operated by a Greensboro police officer helping the Charlotte force, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said.
The protester, 26-year-old Donnell Jones of Missouri, was not hurt and was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, police said.
Earlier Sunday, about 100 demonstrators gathered across the street from Bank of America Stadium before the football game to protest the Scott shooting. They were surrounded by at least two dozen police officers on bicycles.
When the national anthem was played, the protesters all dropped to one knee as many NFL players have been doing for weeks to call attention to issues, including police shootings. Inside the stadium, Carolina safety Marcus Ball raised his fist during the anthem.
Video footage police released Saturday of the Scott shooting incident hasn’t settled questions about whether he threatened authorities with a gun before he was felled by a black officer. Police Chief Kerr Putney said Saturday that Scott was “absolutely in possession of a handgun,” adding that, while officers didn’t break the law, the State Bureau of Investigation continues to pursue the case.
While police say Scott had a gun, residents contend he was unarmed. It’s not apparent in the video if he’s holding anything shortly before he was shot. The dramatic video released by Charlotte police shows officers with guns drawn surrounding the man just before the shooting.
Police also released photos on Saturday of what they said was a loaded handgun found at the scene, adding it bore Scott’s DNA and fingerprints. They also said Scott had marijuana.
In the police vehicle dashboard camera video released Saturday night, Scott could be seen slowly backing away from his SUV with his hands down. Four shots are heard in quick succession, and he crumples to the ground mortally wounded. Protests against Scott’s fatal shooting were largely peaceful after the dashboard camera and police body-cam videos were released. — AP
