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One Person on Life Support as Protests in Charlotte Turn Violent for Second Night

Shooter was a civilian, city says

Demonstrators protest Tuesday’s fatal police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott in Charlotte, N.C. on Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2016 / AP
September 21, 2016

One person is in critical condition on life support after being shot Wednesday night as protests in Charlotte, N.C. became violent the day after city police fatally shot an African-American man.

A large crowd of demonstrators gathered in downtown Charlotte to protest police in riot gear outside an Omni Hotel. Some protesters reportedly rushed police officers and threw various objects at them. Police fired tear gas and flash bangs at the crowd in an attempt to get people to disperse.

At one point a shot was fired, leading the chief of the Charlotte Police Department to say that one person had died in the protests. Confusion led reporters to believe that the individual was initially wounded by a flash bang.

The Charlotte Police Department confirmed that the individual who was hit was not shot by police, but by another civilian.

The city of Charlotte later clarified that the shot individual was still alive but on life support and in critical condition.

During the chaos, looters smashed into a souvenir store.

At one point, a CNN reporter was knocked to the ground by a protester live on air.

Demonstrators had gathered to protest Tuesday’s police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott, an African-American father of seven. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney said Scott had a gun, citing witnesses. Scott’s family maintains he was unarmed and sitting in a car in an apartment complex parking lot.