Charlotte-Mecklenburg police arrested at least four protesters Wednesday night as nearly 100 people gathered in the rain to decry the Mecklenburg County district attorney’s decision to forgo charges in the Keith Scott killing.
D.A. Andrew Murray said his office found no evidence that CMPD office Brentley Vinson broke the law when he shot and killed Scott, who refused numerous orders by police to drop a gun he was holding. Murray said 15 veteran prosecutors were unanimous in the decision.
Despite Murray’s release of a lengthy report on the killing, which included extensive evidence uncovered by the State Bureau of Investigation, protestors said they rejected the decision. With chats of “f— the police!” and “the whole damn system is guilty as hell,” some accused CMPD of racism. (Scott was African American, as was the officer who killed him.)
Protesters, who were spirited but not violent, began their demonstration outside CMPD headquarter then began marching in the uptown area where, earlier this fall, people smashed windows and looted businesses following Scott’s death.
CMPD said on Twitter that the four people arrested were charged with obstructing traffic. One also was charged with disorderly conduct, police said.
Scott’s family said in a statement they were “profoundly disappointed” by prosecutors’ findings, but they asked “that everyone work together to fix the system that allowed this tragedy to happen in the first place.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
