Man Arrested in Fatal Shooting of Charlotte Protester, Police Chief Says

by ERIK ORTIZ – (NBC News) - A suspect was arrested Friday in the fatal shooting of a protester on the second night of violent clashes this week in Charlotte, North Carolina, in the wake of a police-involved shooting, officials said.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department identified the suspect as Rayquan Borum and charged him in the shooting death of Justin Carr, 26, who was on life support and died on Thursday.

Police said Carr was wounded in a protester-on-protester incident Wednesday night, during demonstrations downtown that led to over 40 arrests.

Tensions have flamed in Charlotte since Tuesday's shooting death of Keith Lamont Scott, which was caught on police dashboard and bodycam videos.

Lawyers for the Scott family said they watched the footage Thursday, and the video shows him calmly walking back after he was approached by police outside a condominium complex near the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

The officer who fired the fatal shot was in plainclothes as part of a special unit and was not wearing a bodycam. But Putney said three other officers at the scene were wearing bodycams.

Family attorney Justin Bamberg said in a statement that it is difficult to discern what Scott, a 40-year-old father for seven, was holding in his hands. Earlier, the family contended he was holding a book, but a weapon.

Putney has said a gun was recovered at the scene, but no book.

A photo taken by witness obtained by NBC affiliate WCNC appears to show a gun lying near Scott on the ground.

The officer who fired the fatal shot, Brentley Vinson, was placed on paid administrative leave, as is standard procedure. The State Bureau of INvestigtion and the state begins its independent investigation into the shooting.

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.