North Carolina cops claim they have a dash cam video showing Keith Lamont Scott charging towards officers with a gun in his hand, making them fear for their lives, which is why they had to shoot him dead.
However, it’s been more than 16 hours since WSOCTV reported that “sources” told them about this dash cam video, but Charlotte-Mecklenberg police have yet to release it.
And during those 16 hours, Charlotte was besieged by a second night of rioting and looting and violence by people who believe Scott was killed after police confused a book in his hand for a gun.
So why are they not releasing the video?
Police claim they are bound by law not to release the dash cam video, even if it means the city goes up in flames.
And while it’s true that North Carolina passed a law earlier this year barring the release of such videos in what they say is meant to promote “uniformity, clarity and transparency,” the law does not go into effect until October 1, 2016.
So there is no law barring the release of the video. Not that cops ever allow the law to keep them from doing what they want to do anyway.
Releasing the video would not only settle the debate as to whether or not Scott was holding a gun, it may also determine if the officer that killed him was black, a claim that has been disputed by several witnesses.
While it should not make a difference whether the cop was white or black, police in this country are under the impression that it is more acceptable if black people are killed by black cops.
So even though police are claiming that Brentley Vinson killed Scott, several witnesses say it was a bald white cop who shot him.
They say Vinson did not even show up to the scene until 10 minutes later which was when he started to perform CPR on Scott, but by then, it was too late, as you can hear on the video below.
Scott was the sixth person killed by Charlotte-Mecklenburg this year, but it was the first shooting that led to protests and riots.
Police said a black man was shot and killed by another protester Wednesday night, but they later said he survived the shooting and was left clinging to life.
However, several witnesses say the man was shot by cops, perhaps with a rubber bullet or maybe a tear gas canister, a projectile strong enough to cause serious injury, but not to kill him instantly as a live bullet would.
Police say they will hold a press conference at 1o:30 a.m. to release more details, so we’ll see if they release this video.
UPDATE: After unnamed police sources led the media to report that the dash cam video shows Scott charging at the officer, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney held a press conference this morning saying the video does not include “absolute, definitive, visual evidence that would confirm that a person is pointing a gun.”
He also reiterated that the video will not be released anytime soon.
When one reporter questioned why he is withholding the video after promising “full transparency” in the investigation, the chief countered that he never promised full transparency.
“I never said ‘full transparency,’” he responded. “I said ‘transparency,’ and transparency’s in the eye of the beholder.”
