Video Release of Keith Lamont Scott's Shooting Depends on 'Timing': Charlotte Officials
— -- As protesters in Charlotte, North Carolina, continue to demand for the release of video showing the moment when police fatally shot Keith Lamont Scott, the city's mayor and police chief agreed the footage should be made public -- but said it's a matter of when.
"I do believe the video should be released," Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts said at a press conference this morning. "The question is on the timing."
Roberts said that at first she wanted the footage to be released immediately to maintain transparency. But officials convinced her that releasing it too soon could jeopardize the integrity of the investigation, she said.
"We want to have integrity in this investigation. We want those eyewitnesses to tell us without being led or have their memories changed by what they heard or saw," she told reporters. "I had to get to this point as well. It was not easy wanting that transparency but also wanting the integrity of the information as it continues to be gathered."
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney said the video evidence alone does not establish probable cause. But the "intent" is to publicly release the video along with other supporting evidence once it's been fully gathered. Still, the timing has to be right, he said.
The probe into Scott's death has now been officially handed over to North Carolina's State Bureau of Investigation, which will be in charge of providing updates and releasing further information on the status of the investigation, according to Putney.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
