Charlotte-Mecklenburg police release extended Keith L. Scott shooting videos

Impact

On Tuesday, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department released extended versions of body-worn and dash cam videos of the Sept. 20 shooting of Keith L. Scott — a man living with a severe traumatic brain injury who CMPD officers killed during a search for an unrelated suspect at an apartment complex in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The shooting, which family members and witnesses characterized as reckless, spurred days of protests and a state of emergency in the Charlotte metro area. Authorities say they officers initially surrounded Scott after they noticed he was in possession of marijuana as well as a firearm, and released partial footage of the incident. CMPD Chief Kerr Putney conceded while the footage did not conclusively demonstrate Scott was holding a firearm at the time of his death, other evidence from the scene confirmed the officers' story.

The new footage, consisting of extended versions of the partial videos released earlier, can be downloaded via the city of Charlotte's web site.

It does not answer the question of whether Scott was holding a firearm when he was shot, though an ankle holster matching a photo released by authorities can be seen, and police officers can be heard telling him to drop the gun and discussing securing a firearm.

In the body-cam video, an officer can be seen moving around parked vehicles and briefly shows a glimpse of Scott before an officer opens fire, though the actual shooting is not captured by video or audio. The extended and extremely graphic version of the video released on Tuesday shows officers then proceed to administer first aid to Scott over the course of several minutes, as well as discuss securing a firearm found at the scene.

(Video shown here is from the initial, partial release.)

The dash-cam video is also a continuation of prior footage and shows Scott being shot as he was backing away from his vehicle and away from officers as well as subsequent efforts by the officers to perform emergency aid. At least four shots can be heard in that video.

None of the footage clearly shows a gun in Scott's hands, although it can also not be determined whether the firearm was in the holster or whether it fell beneath or beside his body while he was on the ground.

During a Tuesday discussion with press, Scott's family's attorneys acknowledged the officers repeatedly mention a gun in the full videos, but said if he was holding it at the time of the shooting, it would have been found near him, WSOC 9's Joe Bruno tweeted.

Those attorneys also told Bruno the new footage does not change their view of the incident: officers used deadly force too quickly and should have given Scott clear, step-by-step instructions instead of opening fire.