DA: Police Officer’s Actions Were “Lawful” In Keith Lamont Scott Case

College Downs
College Downs, the scene of the September 2016 officer-involved shooting death of Keith Lamont Scott. Image by: SisterToldjah

Mecklenburg County District Attorney Andrew Murray announced Wednesday that no charges will be filed against CMPD Officer Brentley Vinson in the September shooting death of Charlotte resident Keith Lamont Scott:

“All of the credible, available and believable evidence supports the conclusion that Scott was armed with a gun,” Murray said. “That evidence includes DNA, an admission by the seller who illegally sold Scott the gun that was recovered at the scene, and pre-incident radio traffic in which officers can be heard discussing that they saw Scott with a gun.”

During his press conference, Murray outlined the determining factors and evidence that led him to decide that Officer Vinson “acted lawfully.” Key among them was video evidence from a nearby convenience store that showed Keith Lamont Scott entering the store with a visible bulge on his ankle shortly before the shooting at College Downs on Old Concord Road:

Murray drew attention to Scott’s right ankle, saying “the bulge you see here,” pointing to Scott’s right ankle, is consistent with the gun and holster recovered from the scene.

“According to the evidence presented, Scott drew a gun from his ankle holster when confronted by officers. Scott then exited the vehicle with the gun in his hand,” Murray said. The officers commanded Scott to drop the gun at least 10 times, as verified on video, and Scott failed to comply, Murray continued.

The DA also sought to debunk some social media rumors/statements that were widely circulated in the aftermath of the shooting, like the one about Keith Lamont Scott allegedly having a book in his possession and not a gun when officers confronted him:

For the first time since the shooting, the attorneys for Scott’s family acknowledged in a separate presser after the DA had concluded his presentation that “there was a firearm on the scene” at the time of the shooting:

The attorneys later stated they would still seek justice for Keith Lamont Scott.

The Black Lives Matter-affiliated group Charlotte Uprising tweeted their response to Murray’s announcement by calling officers “pigs” and issuing threats:

Fortunately, local law enforcement were preparing for the possibility:

Four people, including a 16 year-old, were arrested during Wednesday night’s mostly peaceful, smaller scale protest in uptown Charlotte.

All four were charged with impeding traffic and James Marsicano was also charged with resisting an officer.

Charlotte Uprising Arrestees
Top Row: Eleanor Everrette, 16, Loan Tran, 21.                                         Bottom Row: Landon Rice, 22, James Marsicano, 23. 

As previously reported at American Lens,  Loan Tran is the Director of the Youth Organizing Institute, which mentioned in a November 2016 meeting agenda of George Soros’ Democracy Alliance.

The district attorney’s detailed findings regarding the Keith Lamont Scott case can be reviewed at this link.

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Based in North Carolina, Sister Toldjah is a 15+ year veteran of blogging with an emphasis on mainstream media bias and the culture wars.