CHARLOTTE — A lot of people are upset about Friday’s deadly officer-involved shooting and took to the streets.
Kass Otley organized Saturday night’s protest, which took place at the same gas station where the shooting took place.
“We’re just out here to get answers,” Otley said. “We want the truth.”
Part of the narrative circulating in the community is that the man was shot in the back by an officer.
Channel 9 obtained video from the convenience store’s security camera.
It shows the man running and the police chasing him on foot.
A tree blocks the deadly confrontation. Police say that the man displayed a gun and one of the officers fired in response to a deadly threat.
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But Eric Henderson, who was at the scene at the time, says he saw the man stumble and described the rest.
“So when he finally got up, like, he was close to the sidewalk. When he got close to that sidewalk, he was still stumbling and that’s when the police hollered out gun,” Henderson said. “Pop, pop, pop.”
Henderson is convinced the man didn’t reach for his gun and from what he could see, he was shot in the back.
Sources tell Channel 9 that a preliminary examination of the body shows that his back was not injured. It’s up to the medical examiner to confirm during a scheduled autopsy on Monday.
“We want to know if he was shot in the back, how he was shot in the back,” said Otley.
On Saturday, the victim’s mother spoke and gave a tearful defense and said her son would never have posed a threat to officers.
“He would have never tried to do that. They killed my baby, my only child,” said Phylis Massey. “The only child I have and they killed him for no reason. But I tell you what, it’s not over.”
Protestors may be back out in the streets on Sunday. So far, they are not satisfied with what they have heard from police.
CMPD released the following statement Saturday:
Regarding yesterday’s officer-involved shooting in the 1300 block of LaSalle St.: The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) is lead investigative agency. To protect the integrity of their active investigation, CMPD cannot release preliminary details.
Part of the SBI’s investigation includes the Medical Examiner’s exam, which is expected early this coming week. We expect that the objective facts established through the Medical Examiner’s examination and the SBI’s investigation, when completed, will address some of the lingering questions and unverified reports currently circulating.
CMPD leadership remains in close contact with city and community leaders to keep lines of communication open while respecting the official investigative process.