A man has been shot during what started out as a peaceful protest in Charlotte following the death of Keith Lamont Scott Tuesday afternoon.
CBS News reports and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department confirmed on Twitter that the incident was not an “officer-involved” shooting.
The victim was taken to a local hospital. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney initially said that the victim died from his injuries, but the city of Charlotte later clarified that the person who was shot is actually on life support and in critical condition.
The live video from WBTV shows a phalanx of police officers dressed in riot gear in the middle of an intersection, once again outnumbering the protestors. A protestor told WBTV that the night’s protests started out peacefully, but the police started firing tear gas into the crowd without provocation. “They were really rude. They were even rude during our prayers,” she said.
Joe Bruno, a reporter at WSOC in Charlotte, said on Twitter that the shooting took place near the Omni Hotel, with police, media and demonstrators a “couple feet” away. The Associated Press reports that immediately after the shooting, protestors threw “bottles, dirt lots and fireworks” at the officers. The police responded by firing “flash grenade and then tear gas” in retaliation.
In the ensuing chaos, CNN reporter Ed Lavendera was nearly knocked over by a protestor.