Listen Live
97.9 The Beat Featured Video
CLOSE

Just days after a state of emergency order was lifted in parts of Charlotte, North Carolina, authorities on Thursday released audio from the deadly police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott that sparked days of sometimes violent protests, according to 11 Alive. 

“The three pieces of audio contain the 911 call and radio traffic received and transmitted moments after the fatal shooting that sparked week-long protests in Charlotte and a nation wide debate,” writes the television news outlet.

In one police radio call, an officer can be heard saying, “Shots fired. Suspect down.” Police redacted the audio and altered the voices, notes the report. The shooting occurred about 3 P.M. on Sept. 20 at an apartment complex in North Carolina’s Charlotte-Mecklenburg County.

Another radio call likely sheds light on why officers may have noticed Scott, 43, a married father of seven, in the first place.

Family says he was sitting in his car waiting for his son to be dropped off after school. But officers, who were staking out the nearby Village at College Downs complex for another individual, reportedly observed a man–presumably Scott–sitting in a car, rolling a joint with a handgun in his possession, according to one audio. The exchange below occurred about five minutes before the shooting.

In the 911 call, an obviously distraught witness told the operator that a man was shot by a Black officer.

The 911 call and police radio transmissions fail to explain why Scott ended up dead instead of questioned and sent back home to his wife and children. North Carolina residents can carry firearms in most public places without a permit or license. And marijuana is essentially decriminalized in the state of North Carolina, notes The Washington Post.

What was Scott’s crime? Sound off in the comments.

SOURCE: 11 Alive, The Washington Post | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty | AUDIO CREDIT: 11 Alive

SEE ALSO:

Radio One, Inc. Says ‘#NotOneMore’

New Video Footage Shows Fatal Encounter Between Keith Lamont Scott & Charlotte Police

‘Shots Fired. Suspect Down:’ Charlotte Releases 911 Call & Police Radio Traffic From Keith Lamont Scott Shooting  was originally published on newsone.com