New law may complicate release of Charlotte police video
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Protesters who have filled the streets to push for the release of video of a fatal police shooting could see their task get much harder if Charlotte authorities do not share the footage within a week.
A North Carolina law that takes effect Oct. 1 will declare that the video is not a public record and that only a judge can release it, potentially making the issue far more complicated than if police simply shared the footage on their own.
The law passed by the state’s GOP-controlled Legislature runs counter to a nationwide trend in which some cities are trying to show greater transparency by releasing videos soon after a shooting.
Calls for the release of the video have become the crux of the protests in the aftermath of Keith Lamont Scott’s death. Police have said Scott, who was shot Tuesday, disregarded repeated warnings to drop a gun. Neighbours have said he was holding only a book.