The Latest: Police don’t plan to remove peaceful protesters

Campagna says people inside the group of demonstrators helped keep things peaceful Thursday, the third night of protests after an officer fatally shot a black man. He says community members intervened with aggressors after seeing the need when protests became violent Wednesday night.

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12:05 a.m.

A curfew has taken effect in Charlotte with demonstrators still on the street.

Mayor Jennifer Roberts signed documents Thursday night to put in effect a curfew from midnight until 6 a.m.

After midnight, dozens of protesters continued to march and chant in the city’s business district.

Officers didn’t appear to be trying to arrest people or force them off the streets several minutes after midnight passed.

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10:50 p.m.

Protesters in Charlotte who spilled onto an interstate highway are being pushed back by police officers in riot gear.

After peacefully circling the city’s business district for several hours, several dozen demonstrators climbed onto Interstate 277 and stood in the middle of the highway.

A line of police officers with shields and face masks advanced on the protesters, and many dispersed and climbed back up embankments off the road.

Thursday marked the third night of protests after a shooting earlier in the week of a black man by police in Charlotte.

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9:45 p.m.

Charlotte’s mayor is imposing a curfew starting at midnight after three nights of protests.

Mayor Jennifer Roberts told reporters Thursday night that she had signed documents to impose a curfew that will run from midnight to 6 a.m.

She expects it to be in place for multiple days until officials determine they no longer need it.

The city’s government issued a Tweet saying the curfew is citywide.

Protesters took to the streets for a third night but were largely peaceful Thursday. Two previous nights of chaotic protests included injuries, one death arrests and vandalism.

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8:40 p.m.

Hundreds of protesters are marching through the heart of Charlotte’s business district.

The protesters stopped for about 15 minutes to chant and block an intersection near Bank of America’s headquarters. They then moved on as police and members of the National Guard monitored them.

The demonstration that began about 7:30 p.m. at a park has so far been peaceful.

The crowd includes curious onlookers who emerged from hotels and office buildings to take pictures.

The business district, known locally as uptown, has been on edge Thursday after two nights of chaotic protests that included vandalism and injuries.

The protests stem from the fatal shooting this week of a black many police.

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8: 20 p.m.

A North Carolina congressman says that people are protesting in Charlotte because they “hate white people.”

U.S. Rep. Robert Pittenger, a Republican whose district includes parts of Charlotte, was asked by an interviewer for Britain’s BBC TV what grievance the protesters have.

In the video posted online Thursday, Pittenger responded: “The grievance in their mind is — the animus, the anger — they hate white people because white people are successful and they’re not.”

He later released a statement apologizing and saying that his anguish over the situation led him to give a response he regretted.

Chaotic protests broke out Tuesday and Wednesday in Charlotte after a black man was shot to death by a police officer.

The North Carolina Democratic Party released a statement saying Pittenger’s remarks were inexcusable and racist.

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8 p.m.

Charlotte police say the man shot in the head during Wednesday night’s protests near a downtown hotel has died.

Police spokesman Keith Trietley says in a news release that 26-year-old Justin Carr died Thursday at the hospital.

Carr was shot as protesters clashed with police in riot gear lined arm-in-arm protecting the Omni Hotel about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. City officials say Carr was not shot by an officer.

Police Chief Kerr Putney says the detectives are determined to find who fired the fatal shots. No arrests have been made.

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7:50 p.m.

The lawyer for relatives of a black man killed by Charlotte police says he couldn’t tell after watching police video if the man had anything in his hands when he was shot.

Keith Scott’s family was shown the dashboard and body camera footage by police Thursday.

After viewing it, attorney Justin Bamberg said in a statement they want the video released to the public immediately. Charlotte Police Chief Kerr Putney has said he won’t release the video while a criminal investigation continues.

Bamberg says Scott is seen in the video calmly exiting his vehicle Tuesday and while police give him several commands, he does not approach officers. Bamberg says Scott’s hands were by his side and he was slowly walking backward when he was shot

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7:35 p.m.

About 100 protesters have gathered at a park in uptown Charlotte, launching a third night of demonstrations over the fatal shooting of a black man by a black police officer.

With dwindling daylight, the protesters formed a circle and chanted several slogans, including “We believe that we will win.” Some of them wrapped bandanas around their faces to protect themselves from tear gas.

About 50 feet away, about a dozen Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers sat on bicycles observing the protesters.

Camouflage Humvees carrying National Guard members are patrolling downtown interspersed with civilian vehicles. Guard members with fatigues and rifles walked through a plaza near the headquarters of Bank of America.

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6:45 p.m.

The attorney for relatives of a black man shot to death by Charlotte police says the family has seen police videos of his killing.

Lawyer Justin Bamberg tells television crews he would not detail what they saw. Bamberg says: “There are some things to digest.”

Members of Keith Scott’s family didn’t talk to reporters as they quickly left Charlotte’s police headquarters Thursday afternoon.

Charlotte Police Chief Kerr Putney said earlier Thursday he won’t release the body and dashboard camera video while the criminal investigation into Tuesday’s shooting continues.

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4:15 p.m.

An attorney for relatives of a black man shot and killed by an officer in Charlotte says the victim’s wife “saw him get shot and killed.”

Attorney Justin Bamberg spoke Thursday on behalf of the family of 43-year-old Keith Lamont Scott during a news conference. He says the family was not present because they were still grieving.

Bamberg said: “My understanding is that his wife saw him get shot and killed. That’s something she will never, ever forget.”

He did not give other details about what the wife saw.

Bamberg says the family will view police video of the shooting later Thursday.

It is not clear when, or if, dash and body camera video of the shooting might be publicly released.

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3:55 p.m.

An attorney for relatives of a black man shot and killed by an officer in Charlotte says the family will view police video of the shooting later Thursday.

Attorney Justin Bamberg spoke on behalf of the family of 43-year-old Keith Lamont Scott during a news conference. The family was not present, he says, because they were still grieving.

He says they don’t know what’s on the video, only what law enforcement says on the video.

Charlotte Police Chief Kerr Putney has said that Scott refused commands to drop a gun; residents say he was unarmed. Putney also says the video does not definitively show whether Scott pointed the gun at anyone.

It is not clear when, or if, dash and body camera video of the shooting might be publicly released.

The attorney says the family wants to know the truth but worries about the emotional impact if the video is released.

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3:10 p.m.

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory says he supports the Charlotte police chief’s position that body and dashcam video of the deadly police shooting of a black man shouldn’t be released to the public while the investigation continues.

At a news conference Thursday, McCrory said he hadn’t changed his mind about a law he signed that will make it harder for police shooting videos to be released starting next month.

McCrory spoke as officials try to head off another day of protests stemming from the shooting of Keith Lamont Scott. Police say he refused to drop a gun; residents say he was unarmed. McCrory says he expects less chaos in Charlotte because the National Guard and state troopers are helping Charlotte police.

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2:20 p.m.

The Congressional Black Caucus is demanding that Attorney General Loretta Lynch authorize federal intervention into the police killings of unarmed African-American men and women.

The action comes in the aftermath of the killing in Charlotte, North Carolina, of Keith Lamont Scott. Police say he refused repeated commands to drop a gun, but residents say he was unarmed.

The black lawmakers walked Thursday from the U.S. Capitol to the Justice Department to present the letter to Lynch, who was having a news conference of her own inside the building. Democratic Rep G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina, the caucus’s chair, said they would tell the attorney general that “enough is enough.”

The letter asks for state and federal investigations, indictments and prosecutions of police officers whose actions harm or kill unarmed African-Americans.

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12:55 p.m.

A North Carolina gun-rights group says just because there’s a state of emergency in Charlotte doesn’t mean people there are unable to carry their concealed handgun for defence if they have a permit for one.

Grass Roots North Carolina President Paul Valone wrote Thursday in a memo to its supporters strongly advising them to carry these lawful firearms if they can’t avoid being in Charlotte and surrounding Mecklenburg County. There have been two nights of violence in Charlotte stemming from the shooting of a man by a police officer.

Valone points to a 2012 federal court ruling striking down a broad state law making it a misdemeanour for people to possess or transport any dangerous weapon outside of their homes within an area where a state of emergency exists. Grass Roots was a plaintiff in the litigation.

Grass Roots counts 20,000 people among its members.

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12:05 p.m.

The chief state prosecutor in Charlotte is asking the State Bureau of Investigation to look into the shooting of a man killed by a police officer earlier this week.

District Attorney R. Andrew Murray said in a statement Thursday that he was making the request for a state investigation at the request of the family of 43-year-old Keith Lamont Scott.

Charlotte Police Chief Kerr Putney says he plans to show video of the shooting to the slain man’s family, but the video won’t be immediately released to the public.

He also said during a news conference Thursday that the video does not definitively show Scott pointing a gun at anyone, though police maintain Scott refused commands to drop the weapon.

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Noon

The family of a black man shot to death by a police officer in Charlotte is calling on protesters to be peaceful.

Reykia Scott says in a statement released Thursday that she is devastated by the death of her husband, 43-year-old Keith Lamont Scott, and understands people’s frustrations. But Reykia Scott says hurting people or damaging property is not the answer.

The Scott family’s comments come after a second night of unrest in Charlotte after the fatal shooting. Police Chief Kerry Putney told reporters Thursday he planned to show video of the shooting to Scott’s family but would not immediately be releasing it to the public.

Putney says the video does not definitively show Keith Scott pointing a gun at anyone.

Police say Scott refused repeated commands to drop his gun, but residents say he was unarmed.

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11:45 a.m.

Charlotte’s police chief says he sees no reason to impose a curfew in North Carolina’s largest city, even after two nights of violent protests following the shooting of a man by a police officer.

Chief Kerr Putney said the city now has more resources to deal with problems, following a declaration of a state of emergency and the arrival of the North Carolina National Guard and more officers from the State Highway Patrol.

Mayor Jennifer Roberts said earlier Thursday the city was considering a curfew. She defended the decision not to seek an emergency declaration earlier, noting the city had been calm during the day Wednesday. She says the request was made at the appropriate time when more resources were needed.

Roberts again called for calm as the shooting investigation continues.

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10:55 a.m.

Charlotte’s police chief says he plans to show video of an officer shooting a black man to the slain man’s family, but the video won’t be immediately released to the public.

Police Chief Kerr Putney said during a news conference Thursday that the video does not definitively show 43-year-old Keith Lamont Scott pointing a gun at anyone.

Putney says he is working to honour the request from the family of Scott to view the video. It’s unclear when or if the video might be released publicly.

The video could be key to resolving the chasm between police, who say Scott refused repeated commands to drop his gun, and residents who say he was unarmed. It’s not clear what the body cameras worn by three officers who were present during the shooting may have captured.

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10:15 a.m.

Life is returning to normal on downtown streets in Charlotte despite two nights of violence.

On Thursday morning, a few uniformed police officers are walking around the area. The governor declared a state of emergency Wednesday night and called on help from the National Guard, but no Guard members were present on the street Thursday morning.

Glass and uprooted plants can be seen on the sidewalk from the protests Wednesday night.

Traffic is flowing in the area although at least three major companies asked their employees to stay home on Thursday.

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9:55 a.m.

The mayor of Charlotte says officials have no time frame for when they might release camera footage of the fatal police shooting of a black man.

Mayor Jennifer Roberts told “NPR” Thursday morning that releasing the police video “depends on the investigation and its progress, and it depends on the discretion of the chief to some extent.”

Calls for police to release the video have increased along with the violent protests, but the police chief has resisted. North Carolina has a law that takes effect Oct. 1 requiring a judge to approve releasing police video, and he said he doesn’t release video when a criminal investigation is ongoing.

Roberts said she hopes to watch the video Thursday or Friday. “I certainly would feel better being able to see it,” she said, adding that she doesn’t know how conclusive the video footage is until she watches it.

Police said the plainclothes officer who shot 43-year-old Keith Lamont Scott, identified as Brently Vinson, has been placed on leave, standard procedure in such cases. Three uniformed officers at the shooting scene had body cameras; Vinson did not, police said.

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9:45 a.m.

Federal help is on the way to Charlotte after two nights of violence after the fatal police shooting of a black man.

The Justice Department is sending a team of trained peacekeepers designed to help resolve community conflict.

The department’s Community Relations Service has been deployed to other cities roiled by tense flare-ups between police and residents.

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8:50 a.m.

The mayor of Charlotte says the city is considering a curfew after two nights of violence in the wake of the shooting of a black man by police.

Mayor Jennifer Roberts told ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Thursday that city officials are talking about imposing a curfew.

Streets were calm Thursday morning, but several civilians and police officers were hurt in the second night of violence Wednesday night.

City spokeswoman Ashley Simmons told local media that Roberts’ office will discuss a possible curfew with city police and the National Guard on Thursday.

The mayor said she wants people to know Charlotte is open for business Thursday. But at least three major companies told workers to avoid downtown offices.

The North Carolina National Guard arrived at a Charlotte armoury early Thursday and some Guard vehicles left the armoury about 8 a.m.

The Associated Press

by Canadian Press

The Latest: Police don’t plan to remove peaceful protesters

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