Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton became one of the many people calling for public release of body-camera footage showing the Sept. 20 police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott in Charlotte, N.C.
On Friday, Clinton posted this appeal to her Twitter account:
The Charlotte Observer reports that Clinton’s post comes after an earlier release from North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper, a Democratic candidate for governor, which said:
We must continue in the pursuit of the truth while also continuing the important work of bringing our communities and law enforcement together to build trust and safety for all. One step toward meeting both goals is for the videos in this case to be released to the public. Transparency between the community and our law enforcement breaks down barriers and brings progress.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney has maintained that the video will not be released to the public.
A New York Times editorial published Friday also called for release of the video:
Elected officials who have paid any attention to the killings of civilians by the police that have roiled several cities in recent years should understand that keeping the public in the dark heightens tension and undermines trust in law enforcement.
The family of Keith Lamont Scott released its own video footage of the shooting. The video was captured by Scott’s wife, Rakeyia Scott, and it tells a different story from that of Charlotte-Mecklenburg police.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police showed their video to Scott’s family Thursday evening.
In the meantime, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation agents have begun an investigation into the shooting at the request of Mecklenburg District Attorney Andrew Murray, according to the Charlotte Observer.