The officer who shot and killed Keith Lamont Scott in September will not face charges, according to the family's lawyer, the Charlotte Observer reports. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer Brentley Vinson fatally shot 43-year-old Scott outside of his home on September 20 after Vinson confronted Scott and told him to drop a gun he was holding. Footage of the shooting reveals the sound of four shots being fired after Vinson told Scott to drop his gun.
Scott, a black man, was fatally shot during the confrontation where officers initially saw him rolling joints with marijuana in his vehicle, according to the Charlotte Observer. Vinson, who is also black, and other officers present didn't decide to confront Scott until they also observed he was in possession of a gun.
Protests broke out across Charlotte after the news of Scott's death broke, calling more attention to police brutality and the killing of black men by police. The Charlotte Observer reports that protests are already in the works over the decision not to charge Vinson.
Many have noted that North Carolina is an open-carry state, which means officers were not legally bound to confront Scott, who the Observer reports was convicted of felony aggravated assault with a weapon in Texas in 2005, about possession of a gun. An investigation into the shooting revealed that the gun Scott had in his possession was stolen, but police did not know the status of the gun at the time of the shooting.
The New York Times reports Mecklenburg County district attorney R. Andrew Murray stated Wednesday that "Officer Vinson acted lawfully when he shot Mr. Scott." Regarding claims that Scott was not holding a gun at the time he was shot by Vinson, Murray said, "All of the credible and available evidence suggests that he was armed."
In a written statement about the decision, Scott's family writes that they are "profoundly disappointed" that Vinson will not face charges, and asked that "everyone work together to fix the system that allowed this tragedy to happen in the first place."
This story is developing.
