Charlotte police say man 'absolutely' had a gun

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on protests in Charlotte, North Carolina, over the fatal police shooting of a black man (all times local):

5:10 p.m.

North Carolina. Gov. Pat McCrory says he supports the decision to release police video recordings showing the shooting of a black man.

McCrory said in a statement Saturday that he supported the decision of Charlotte Police Chief Kerr Putney. McCrory also said he had been assured by state investigators that the release wouldn't have an impact on their probe into the shooting of Keith Lamont Scott.

McCrory's statement came minutes before Putney held a news conference saying he would release dashcam and body camera video of the shooting.

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5:05 p.m.

Charlotte's police chief says officers were trying to serve a warrant on someone else but then spotted the man they ultimately shot and killed.

Chief Kerr Putney told reporters on Saturday that officers saw marijuana and a weapon in Keith Lamont Scott's car and said, "uh oh, this is a safety issue for us and the public."

Putney is releasing dashcam and body cam video on Saturday to the public.

Police have said Scott was shot on Tuesday because he refused commands to drop a handgun. Residents have said he was unarmed. Putney says Scott "absolutely" had a gun but that it's not shown in his hand in the videos.

Community activists have been for days calling on Putney to release body cam and dashcam video of the shooting. Putney has said he wants to be transparent but also won't compromise his investigation.

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5 p.m.

Charlotte police say the man killed by one of their officers "absolutely" had a gun when he was shot.

Chief Kerr Putney told reporters during a news conference on Saturday that the video he's releasing to the public supports the way he originally characterized the shooting of Keith Lamont Scott.

Police have said they shot Scott on Tuesday because he refused commands to drop a handgun. Residents have said he was unarmed.

Community activists have been for days calling on Putney to release body cam and dashcam video of the shooting. Putney has said he wants to be transparent but also won't compromise his investigation.

Scott's family has viewed the videos and has called on Putney to release them to the public.

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4:45 p.m.

A North Carolina police chief has announced he has decided to release police bodycam and dash cam video footage of Tuesday's police shooting of a black man in Charlotte.

Chief Kerr Putney of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department didn't immediately say when the footage would be made public but said he had decided the release would not hinder an ongoing investigation of the shooting.

He said he had determined recently that releasing footage would have "no adverse impact on the investigation." He also added physical evidence would be released.

"These are tough times for our city and we're going to get through it," he added.

Community activists have been for days calling on Putney to release body cam and dashcam video of the shooting of 43-year-old Keith Lamont Scott. Putney has said he wants to be transparent but also won't compromise his investigation.

Scott's family has viewed the videos and has called on Putney to release them to the public.

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4 p.m.

Charlotte police say they are planning to release a statement on the shooting of a black man by police.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department says in a news release that Chief Kerr Putney will make a statement at 4:30 p.m. The release did not say that Putney would take questions.

Community activists have been for days calling on Putney to release body cam and dashcam video of the shooting of 43-year-old Keith Lamont Scott. Putney has said he wants to be transparent but also won't compromise his investigation.

Scott's family has viewed the videos and has called on Putney to release them to the public.

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3:45 p.m.

The president of the North Carolina NAACP says federal authorities are investigating the police shooting of a black man in Charlotte. But the U.S. Justice Department told The Associated Press on Saturday that it has not opened a probe into the shooting of Keith Lamont Scott.

At a rally Saturday afternoon, the Rev. Corine Mack said an official investigation was underway into the shooting, which happened earlier this week.

Later Saturday, the Justice Department reiterated comments made Thursday by Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who said the department was continuing the monitor the case.

Police say Scott refused repeated commands to drop a gun. The department has not released body camera and dashcam footage.

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3 p.m.

Hundreds of demonstrators in Charlotte have taken their protest to the police department.

Many of the hundreds who gathered Saturday afternoon chanted "Keith Scott," the name of the black man shot to death earlier this week by police.

Protesters had gathered earlier in the day, marching through the streets of a city on edge after Scott's shooting death. The demonstrations reached a violent crescendo on Wednesday before the National Guard was called in Thursday to maintain order.

The next two nights of protests were free of property damage and violence, with organizers stressing a message of peace at the end of the week.

Many demonstrators have demanded police release body camera and dashcam video of Scott's shooting. On Saturday, the crowd chanted, "No tapes, no peace."

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2 p.m.

Music and peaceful attitudes are dominating a rally of several hundred in a park near Charlotte's police department.

Speakers and singers at the Saturday afternoon gathering have spoken out against incidents of police violence across the country. Organizer Femi Shittu welcomed those in attendance "with all of their righteous anger" before an acoustic musical duo took the makeshift stage.

Saturday marked the fifth day of rallies in this southern banking capital since a black man was shot by police earlier in the week. The demonstrations reached a violent crescendo on Wednesday before the National Guard was called in Thursday to maintain order.

The next two nights of protests were free of property damage and violence, with organizers stressing a message of peace at the end of the week.

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1 p.m.

Several dozen people have gathered at a Charlotte park located just blocks away from the city's police department for a rally and march.

People wore shirts that say "black lives matter" and "support the Charlotte movement" while they waited for speakers to take a makeshift stage in front of a fountain. Two women walked around offering to register people to vote. Others offered bottles of water.

Saturday marked the fifth day of ralliessince a black man was shot by police earlier in the week. The demonstrations reached a violent crescendo on Wednesday before the National Guard was called in Thursday to maintain order.

The next two nights of protests were free of property damage and violence, with organizers stressing a message of peace at the end of the week.