Earlier this week, Charlotte, North Carolina resident, Keith Lamont Scott, was killed outside of an apartment building by Officer Brentley Vinson.
Officers sought to serve an arrest warrant, but Scott, 43, wasn’t the intended recipient of that mandate. Despite that fact, officers still approached Scott in his vehicle and said that he reportedly had a handgun in his possession. That detail has yet to be confirmed since there’s no “definitive, visual evidence that would confirm that a person is pointing a gun,” Police Chief Kerr Putney said Thursday (Sept. 22).
According to Scott’s family, he didn’t have a firearm on him. He was reading a book while awaiting his son’s arrival from school.
Scott’s death has sparked protests across the city of Charlotte and prompted responses from some of the city’s most visible public figures like Cam Newton to now, Michael Jordan.
As owner of the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets, MJ shared a statement on the recent events:
“First, I want to express my condolences to the Scott family for their loss. I also wish for a full recovery to those who have been injured,” he writes. “In light of the tragic events of the past three days, it is more important than ever that we restore calm and come together, as a community, in peaceful demonstration and conversation, and in constructive and non-violent ways. As part of the fabric of Charlotte, the Hornets organization is committed to working with civic leaders, our elected leaders and law enforcement to foster more trust, transparency and understanding so we can heal and grow together as a community.”
Michael Jordan’s statement to the AP on police shootings, protests in Charlotte: pic.twitter.com/amMvsRZFSi
— Steve Reed (@SteveReedAP) September 22, 2016
The video of Scott’s death will be viewed by the family, but law enforcement officials will hold off on making the video public.