Protests continued to wrack Charlotte, North Carolina days after police officers shot and killed a Black man.

Governor Pat McCrory declared a state of emergency and deployed the national guard Wednesday night, after another man was shot during the protests.

The protests started 24 hours earlier, on September 20, when police shot and killed Keith Scott, a 43-year-old Black man, in the an apartment complex parking lot. Police say Scott held a gun when he was shot. His family maintains he held a book.

Reports indicate the protests started around 6pm on Tuesday night, near the scene of the officer-involved shooting.

Police in riot gear quickly arrived on the scene.

Officers began using tear gas on protesters that night.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department reported four officers injured.

Protests continued Wednesday, in Charlotte’s Marshall Park.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police chief Kerr Putney said in a press conference that the protest began around 6pm that night.

Some protesters began moving toward the center of the city.

The protests escalated quickly into violence.

Around 8:30pm, police responded to reports of a shooting on North Cobble St.

McCory announced a state of emergency late Wednesday night.

Putney explained the reasoning behind this decision in a press conference Thursday.

“The reason is I wanted to protect our property; I wanted to protect our people, our officers,” he said. “…The role of the State Highway patrol is to help us with traffic and help us protect infrastructure. The role of the national guard is to help us mainly with infrastructure.”

Protests began to wind down around 3am.

Putney reported 5 police and 9 civilians injured. The police made 44 arrests, for crimes ranging from failure to disperse to assault.

The city held a press conference Thursday morning to discuss the events of the previous 48 hours.

Putney said Thursday that the police would not release videos of the shooting that sparked the protest.

“When should you expect it to be released?” he asked reporters. “You shouldn’t expect it to be released."


Main image from Getty/Sean Rayford