North Carolina governor declares state of emergency
The state of emergency was triggered by escalating tensions over the shooting of a black man by police.
People maneuver amongst tear gas in uptown Charlotte, NC during a protest of the police shooting of Keith Scott, in Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. September 21, 2016.
The Governor of North Carolina declared a state of emergency on Wednesday following a second night of protests, where one person was shot and gravely wounded in the city of Charlotte.
Governor Pat McCrory tweeted that the National Guard and the Highway Patrol will be assisting police in maintaining order.
I have declared a State of Emergency & initiated efforts to deploy the Nat'l Guard & Highway Patrol to assist local law enforcement in CLT
— Pat McCrory (@PatMcCroryNC) September 22, 2016
Charlotte Police Chief Kerr Putney initially reported that a person shot during the protest had died, but city officials later announced that the individual had been hospitalised and was on life support.
City officials also said the gunshot was fired by one civilian at another, not by police. A police officer was also being treated for injuries suffered during Wednesday's protests, it said.
Protests turned violent after a police officer shot and killed a 43-year-old black man on Tuesday.
Blood covers the pavement where a person was shot in uptown Charlotte, NC during a protest of the police shooting of Keith Scott, in Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. September 21, 2016.
According to police, Keith Lamont Scott was armed with a handgun and refused officers' orders to drop the weapon. His family and a witness to the shooting said Scott was holding a book, not a firearm.
The footage of the fatal shooting is to be reviewed by the governor on Thursday and will not be released to the public.
On Tuesday night, hundreds of people gathered at the apartment complex where Scott was shot. Family members said Scott was waiting for his son to be dropped off from school.
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