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22nd Sep 2016

State of emergency declared as violence escalates in North Carolina

Troubling scenes

Conor Heneghan

Shots were fired during a second night of protests in Charlotte on Wednesday.

Governor Pat McCrory has declared a state of emergency in North Carolina following more scenes of violence in Charlotte on Wednesday night.

Demonstrations in the city started on Tuesday night following the fatal shooting of Keith Scott, a black man, by police, with protesters urging for video footage of the shooting to be made public.

According to the Guardian, a protester was injured after being shot by another protester on Wednesday night as the level of unrest in Charlotte escalated, with police firing canisters of tear gas amidst reported scenes of looting, vandalism and violence in the central business district.

Governor Pat McCory declared a state of emergency on Wednesday night and, speaking to CNN, while he said he understood the frustration of protesters, he said he would never respect violence.