Troops, extra police in Charlotte to prevent more clashes

Hundreds of National Guard troops and police reinforcements converged on Charlotte, mobilized to prevent a third night of violent protests over the fatal police shooting of a black man.

 

The tense southern city was under a state of emergency amid growing complaints that the authorities were slow to respond to crowds protesting the death of Keith Lamont Scott, a 43-year-old African American, on Tuesday.

 

One person was shot and seriously wounded and 44 were arrested as the protests swept through downtown Charlotte late Wednesday and early Thursday, triggered by the latest in a string of police-involved killings of black men that have fueled outrage across the United States.

 

Nine protesters and two officers were hurt as clashes broke out with riot police firing tear gas, shutting down a transport hub in the city, officials said.

 

The seriously wounded protester died in the hospital on Thursday, local media reported. The city had said he was shot by a civilian, not police.

 

North Carolina’s governor declared a state of emergency in Charlotte, activating the National Guard and state highway police to reinforce the city’s police force.

 

President Barack Obama spoke with Governor Pat McCrory for an update on the situation, the White House said.

 

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