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Charlotte, NC: Police Release Videos of Keith Lamont Scott Killing

HeadlineSep 26, 2016

In North Carolina, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police have released two videos of Tuesday’s police shooting of 43-year-old African American Keith Lamont Scott. One of the videos is from a police dashboard camera, and the other is from an officer’s body camera. The dashboard camera video shows Scott exiting his vehicle and taking steps backward with his arms at his sides. Police fire four shots at Scott, and he falls to the ground. The body camera video shows Scott on the ground after being shot. The Charlotte police have also released pictures of a handgun, marijuana and an ankle gun holster they say were in Scott’s possession. But even the police chief admits the videos do not show Scott clearly holding a gun. North Carolina is an open-carry state. Scott family attorney Justin Bamberg responded to the footage Sunday.

Justin Bamberg: “What we see when we look at this dash cam video is Mr. Scott steps out of the vehicle. He doesn’t appear to be acting aggressive towards any of the law enforcement officers on the scene. He doesn’t appear to be making gestures or motions as though he’s arguing with anybody. He doesn’t lunge at the officers. It appears he has his hands by his side.”

On Friday, NBC News also obtained cellphone video capturing the shooting, filmed and narrated by Scott’s wife, Rakeyia Scott. In the video, she tells officers that her husband is unarmed and suffers from a traumatic brain injury, or TBI.

Rakeyia Scott: “He doesn’t have a gun. He has a TBI.”

Police officer: “Drop the gun!”

Rakeyia Scott: “He’s not going to do anything to you guys. He just took his medicine.”

Police officer: “Drop the gun! Let me get a [bleep] baton over here.”

Rakeyia Scott: “Keith, get out the car. Keith, Keith! Don’t you do it. Don’t you do it. Keith! Keith! Keith! Don’t you do it! [bleep]! Did you shoot him? Did you shoot him? Did you shoot him?”

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