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Charlotte Shooting: Mayor Announces Curfew in US City

Charlotte Shooting: Mayor Announces Curfew in US City
folder_openUnited States access_time7 years ago
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Local Editor

Charlotte's Mayor Jennifer Roberts announced on Thursday night that she had announced a curfew from midnight to 6 a.m. local time after days of unrest in the North Carolina city.

Charlotte Shooting: Mayor Announces Curfew in US City

However, police said that they did not want to forcibly remove people from the streets if protests remained peaceful.

The decision came as protestors filled the streets for the third night following the death of 43-year-old Keith Lamont Scott, who was shot by a police officer earlier this week.

It's the latest in a string of killings by police officers of black men across the US, a trend that has inspired the "Black Lives Matter" movement and become a focal point in the presidential race.

Protestors on Thursday were largely peaceful after two nights of violent, chaotic clashes that led to injuries, looting, vandalism and arrests. But police were forced to use tear gas on some protestors who had been blocking a highway.

Earlier in the week, police had used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the people on the street. So dangerous were the conditions that several major banks told their employees to stay home.

Charlotte Shooting: Mayor Announces Curfew in US City

Charlotte police refused to publically release video footage reportedly showing Scott's killing, though the dead man's family was allowed to view it on Thursday.

"While police did give him several commands, he did not aggressively approach them or raise his hands at members of law enforcement at any time," said the family's attorney upon seeing the footage.

Police Chief Kerr Putney told the media that the video didn't clearly indicate if Scott was holding a gun at the time he was killed. Police accounts say Scott refused to drop a gun before being shot.

A public release of the video could be key to easing tensions in the city, as protestors reject the official narrative of Scott's death. Under state law, a judge must approve the release of a police video, something Putney said he wouldn't pursue.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team

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