Charlotte police officer Brentley Vinson will not face charges in the September shooting death of a Charlotte man.
Mecklenburg District Attorney Andrew Murray said prosecutors believe the officer was reasonable in believing Keith Lamont Scott was a threat and in using deadly force.
Questions have arisen about whether Scott was armed. No gun is visible either in police video or the cellphone video Scott’s wife took Sept. 20.
Murray said on Wednesday that video and DNA evidence prove Scott was carrying a gun. He showed video which he said came from a Charlotte convenience store shortly before the Sept. 20 incident. Investigators said the video shows Scott was armed, with a gun in an ankle holster.
Murray also said all four police officers reported seeing the gun in Scott’s hand as he sat inside his SUV before the shooting.
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Police reported the man still held the gun and had a dazed look on his face as he got out of the vehicle.
The DA said the decision not to charge Vinson was the unanimous recommendation of more than a dozen career prosecutors.
He asked the public to read the full report available from his office today and not base opinions on partial reports.