On Thursday night, the third night of demonstrations in Charlotte, North Carolina against the fatal police shooting of a black man, police officers armed with rifles fired rubber bullets and tear gas canisters at several hundred protesters blocking a highway.
The protesters were marching to denounce the police shooting of African American Keith Lamont Scott, killed by police in the city on Tuesday night. The 43-year-old’s death outraged Black Lives Matters activists, leading to protests and clashes there.
Earlier on Thursday night, the city administration imposed a curfew effective midnight Thursday (0400 GMT Friday).
“@CLTMayor and @CMPD have enacted a citywide curfew beginning Sept. 23 imposed at midnight until 6 a.m.,” the city administration tweeted, referring to Mayor Jennifer Roberts and the municipal police.
Protesters had blocked one lane of a major highway near the Bank of America Stadium, with many lying down on the road.
Demonstrators march during protests on September 22, 2016 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by AFP)
Demonstrators also marched to the city police station carrying signs saying “Stop killing us” and “Resistance is beautiful.” Many were shouting, “No Justice, No Peace.”
North Carolina has recently passed a law that bans the public release of police video from body or dashboard cameras with limited exceptions.
The shooting death of Scott happened at a time when anti-police sentiment is already high across the US due to a surge of unjustified killings of unarmed African Americans over the past few months.
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