Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Officer Brent Vinson will not be charged in the fatal shooting of Keith Lamont Scott on September 20th. Prosecutors have determined, with a trove of evidence, that Vinson acted lawfully and that criminal charges are not appropriate.
The shooting sparked racial tensions and protests in the area, even though officer Vinson is also African-American.
During the press conference District Attorney Andrew Murray laid out key aspects of the decision not to charge Vinson as well as a detailed timeline of events.
Officers were present in the area looking for an unrelated suspect when they noticed Scott sitting in his vehicle rolling and smoking a marijuana filled cigar. Officers decided at this time it wasn’t worth breaking their cover for the low level offense.
Then officers noticed Scott also had a firearm and decided to move in.
When approached by officers Scott got out of his vehicle, with the gun in his hand.
Officers told Scott to drop the gun 10 times, which the DA showed from multiple video angles.
After refusing officers’ orders, Vinson shot fatally shot Scott.
As it turns out, and unknown to the officers at the time, Scott was a convicted felon with an illegal gun and active warrants for his arrest.
It was also later found that the gun Scott had was cocked, had a round in the chamber and the safety was off.
Scott’s DNA and fingerprints were on the weapon although the fingerprint analysis was inconclusive.
The DA also addressed the several false witness testimonies, including that of Scott’s wife. All of the witness admitted they lied when questioned by the FBI.
The false claims, widely picked up by national media outlets, included completely fabricated information that Scott had a book, that Scott was shot by multiple white officers, and that Scott didn’t have a gun.
Scott’s wife, who was given an unchallenged national platform by several major media networks, also lied about him not owning a gun, as the investigation uncovered recent texts where the couple argued about his gun.
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Just want to say that I got in trouble for the first time in my life 4 years ago, it involved a gun, and I made a mistake. The court saw fit to give me a second chance, and placed me on a felony diversion program.
4 years down, only one to go, no trouble whatsoever. The purpose of me saying this is, despite my mistake, I support all law enforcement, I support our court systems, and I have the utmost respect for every single one of you and the sacrifices you all have made. I don’t blame the mistake I made on the police, I made that choice on my own.
I also want to say that I had an uncle that was a local police officer here in my city, that was killed in the line of duty during a robbery 6 months before I was even born. I think of him, and all of you, every single time I hear of you all being constantly blamed for just doing your dangerous job. Please know that most Americans support you, appreciate you, and understand what you all are going through at this time. Thank you!
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