CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Still in an official state of emergency and under a midnight curfew, Charlotte’s uptown relaxed Friday after three days of passionate protests and occasional violence.
People went to restaurants, walked their dogs on the street and generally ratcheted down the tension that came in the wake of a police killing Tuesday of a man in University City.
Even a dramatic video recording the fatal shots and released by attorneys for the family of the dead man, Keith Lamont Scott, did not appear to raise the level of anger or protest in the city’s urban core.
Police and National Guard troops maintained a visible presence throughout uptown. The EpiCentre entertainment complex, magnet for some of the week’s most tumultuous upheaval, closed down early.
Still, there was still plenty of evidence of civic dissent.
After darkness fell Friday, protesters gathered at the crossroads of Trade and Tryon holding signs.
“#it was a book,” said one, referring to early reports from his family and neighbors that Scott had a book, not a gun, when shot.
Around 8:30 p.m., about 100 demonstrators moved past the intersection, chanting: “We’re shutting down police brutality,” and “Black Lives Matter.”
“Everyone is being peaceful,” said police Capt. Mike Campagna. “Everything went well last night. There’s no reason that can’t happen tonight.”
For a short time, marchers went up on Interstate 277 at Caldwell Street, where they encountered police in riot gear. Police moved them off the highway and the demonstrators changed course for Church Street nearby, then gathered at Romare Bearden Park.
Eric Gordon, a musician from Fort Lauderdale who arrived in Charlotte Friday, had seen the Scott video, which he called disturbing. “I feel like he was no threat,” he said.
Gordon said he came to Charlotte to support the protests. “I’m all about tranquility and peace,” he said. “I want everyone in unity.”
After largely peaceful protests Thursday night, uptown regained a bit of its corporate pace during the day Friday.
Wells Fargo told thousands of employees to report to work as usual at the bank’s uptown towers after urging them to work from home the day before.
But Bank of America, which had a branch bank stormed by vandals outside its signature headquarters skyscraper Wednesday, told its employees to work remotely again Friday.
At the EpiCentre, which suffered looting and significant damage Wednesday night, signs said it would close at 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and at 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Authorities said the National Guard and extra State Highway Patrol troopers would remain in Charlotte through Sunday’s NFL Panthers day game against Minnesota.
Agents of the State Bureau of Investigation, who have taken over the investigation into the killing of Scott, have identified and interviewed most of the critical witnesses in the case, authorities said, and have obtained copies of police dashboard and body camera footage.
Widespread calls have been made for the city to release police videos of the shooting, including from Scott’s family. Late Friday, the SBI issued a statement that left the decision with Charlotte leaders and hinted that the release is under consideration.
“CMPD remains the custodian of the original recording and as such has the legal authority to release it,” the agency said. “It is understood discussions are actively underway between local officials regarding the release of that video.”
Attorneys for the family of Scott released a cellphone video taken by his wife, Rakeyia Scott, that captures the moment of the shooting.
Rakeyia Scott was heading to her husband’s truck, where he was sitting, when she heard officers. “Drop the gun!” police can be heard shouting at least seven times in the shaky, two-minute video.
“Don’t shoot him, Don’t shoot him!” Rakeyia Scott cries.
“He doesn’t have a gun,” she yells. “He’s not going to do anything to you guys.”
At one point, she tells police that her husband has “TBI,” or traumatic brain injury, and just had his medicine.
As police continue to demand Scott drop his gun, she calls out, “Keith, get out the car. Keith! Keith! Don’t you do it! Don’t you do it! Keith!”
Four shots are heard in rapid succession.
Then she is heard screaming, “Did you shoot him? Did you shoot him? Did you shoot him? He better not be f ——— dead. … These are the police officers that shot my husband, and he better live. … He better live. Because he didn’t do nothing to them.”
A second video was posted on YouTube Friday that was apparently taken by someone on a balcony in the apartment complex after the shooting.