Shots fired as violence breaks out at Charlotte protests
As demonstrators gather for a second night of protests in Charlotte, North Carolina, multiple witnesses have reported gunshots in the downtown area.
One person has been taken to a nearby medical center with life-threatening injuries. According to the city police chief, speaking to Fox News,
the victim has died. Police in riot gear have amassed near the entrance to the Omni Hotel, where the incident took place.
A local NBC reporters claims to have seen blood on the ground and
police have deployed tear gas and flashbangs to disperse the crowd.
According to the Charlotte Metropolitan Police, the protests are now considered an "unlawful assembly."
Authorities will begin using non-lethal crowd control measures.
Streetcar service in the city has been discontinued.
At least 12 police officers were injured on Tuesday night as demonstrators took to the streets to protest the shooting death of Keith Scott. The family of Keith Lamont Scott, 43, maintains that he had been sitting in his car reading a book when he was approached by a plain-clothed police officer and shot. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney stated that while the officer was in plain clothes, he was accompanied by officers who were in uniform, and that a handgun, and no book, was found at the scene.
Comment: Update (Sept. 22):Yesterday, North Carolina's Governor declared a
state of emergency and called in the National Guard to deal with the protests. The man reported as killed is now said to have survived, and is on life support - the city tweeted that the shooting was "civilian on civilian", but bystanders point out that he was standing between two ministers, and police were close by. Bank of America employees were told not to go to work on Thursday, the Transit System was shut down. The deceased Scott's wife called for protestors to do so peacefully, and not damage property.
Some ignored that call. Charlotte's mayor is considering implementing a
curfew.
Last night 9 people were injured and 44 were arrested. The city's police chief refused to make public the tape of Scott's shooting.
The media is having a field day reporting on the antisocial segment of the protestors, who were mostly peaceful for the first day, until police started
firing tear gas. For example, Charlotte's
CW affiliate WCCB reported that protesters tried "to throw still photographer into fire". A photographer was attacks, but there's no evidence he was almost immolated.
For example, there are several reports about CNN reporter Ed Lavandera getting body-slammed by a protester. What they don't all report is that it was an
accident, and the man later gave Lavandera a hug and apologized.
A video of a homeless man
in London getting beaten up by violent youths is even
floating around as evidence of the violent "black thugs" in Charlotte.
If you can't control dissent, you can always control the media.
Comment: Update (Sept. 22):
Yesterday, North Carolina's Governor declared a state of emergency and called in the National Guard to deal with the protests. The man reported as killed is now said to have survived, and is on life support - the city tweeted that the shooting was "civilian on civilian", but bystanders point out that he was standing between two ministers, and police were close by. Bank of America employees were told not to go to work on Thursday, the Transit System was shut down. The deceased Scott's wife called for protestors to do so peacefully, and not damage property. Some ignored that call. Charlotte's mayor is considering implementing a curfew.
Last night 9 people were injured and 44 were arrested. The city's police chief refused to make public the tape of Scott's shooting.
The media is having a field day reporting on the antisocial segment of the protestors, who were mostly peaceful for the first day, until police started firing tear gas. For example, Charlotte's CW affiliate WCCB reported that protesters tried "to throw still photographer into fire". A photographer was attacks, but there's no evidence he was almost immolated.
For example, there are several reports about CNN reporter Ed Lavandera getting body-slammed by a protester. What they don't all report is that it was an accident, and the man later gave Lavandera a hug and apologized.
A video of a homeless man in London getting beaten up by violent youths is even floating around as evidence of the violent "black thugs" in Charlotte.
If you can't control dissent, you can always control the media.