US: Police release video of Scott's shooting death

NEW YORK

Authorities in Charlotte late Saturday released video of the police shooting death of Keith Lamont Scott, yielding to pressure after the North Carolina city was hit by days of protests.

The two short length videos released by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police do not clearly show whether Scott was holding a gun, as claimed by the police, who also made public photos including one of the pistol and ankle holster allegedly belonging to Scott that were recovered from the scene.

Charlotte turned into the latest flashpoint of mass demonstrations after Scott's shooting death on Tuesday.

Police content Scott was shot after he refused to drop a gun following multiple orders to do so, but his family has said he was carrying a book during the confrontation, and was non-aggressive toward officers.

At a news conference after the release of the videos, attorneys for the Scott family said his clients welcomed the decision to make them public, while adding that the footage raised more questions than it answered.

Attorney Justin Bamberg reiterated the family's assertion that Scott was not armed and that he never acted in a threatening manner.

“When I look at the dash cam footage, I don’t see anything there, in my opinion, that would lead to him losing his life,” Bamberg said.

Police on Saturday also revealed new details about the deadly encounter, saying that officers, who were busy with an unrelated situation, confronted Scott after they noticed he was rolling up a marijuana cigarette and saw him hold a gun up. The released photos included one of the cigarette.

“What we are releasing are the objective facts,” Police Chief Kerr Putney said at a news conference before the release.