Hundreds of protestors spark riot in US after police shoot disabled black man dead
POLICE are battling hundreds of protesters after a disabled black man was shot dead by officers in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Angry protesters at North Carolina shooting
Keith Lamont Scott was shot by police at an apartment complex at around 4pm local time while he was waiting for his son.
Large groups of protestors, some wearing Black Lives Matter t-shirts, gathered in Charlotte chanting: “Hands up, don't shoot.”
Police have come under fire from protestors
A protestor holds up a sign in Charlotte, North Carolina
Police cordoned off the scene of the shooting, which is just a mile away from North Carolina University, after protestors gathered after the shooting.
At least 100 protestors have taken to the streets, with tear gas and SWAT teams being deployed to after reports of protestors throwing bottles at police.
At least 12 officers have been injured in the melee, with one being hit in the face with a rock.
Mr Scott’s shooting sparked controversy after his daughter, Lyric, claimed her father was unarmed, but police insist the victim had a gun.
Lyric live streamed the traumatic incident via Facebook and claims her father did not have a gun.
The video went viral, gathering more than 500,000 views.
Police revealed they were looking for a man with an outstanding warrant when they saw someone leaving a vehicle with a gun.
Keith Lamont Scott brother talks to journalists about shooting
In a statement, officers said the victim "posed an imminent deadly threat to the officers, who subsequently fired their weapon striking the subject".
It is believed police approached the man after he went back into the vehicle and left with a weapon.
But family members claim Mr Scott only had a book.
Protestors chanted 'hands up, don't shoot'
The Mayor of Charlotte called for calm via her Twitter account
CMPD revealed that officer Brentley Vinson, who is also African-American, fired the fatal shot which killed Mr Scott.
The father of seven was taken to a local hospital, where he later died.
North Carolina is an open-carry state, meaning civilians can carry their guns in public.
Those who know Mr Scott say he was not armed
Protestors swarm around a police car in Charlotte
Police have not commented on Lyric's claims.
Officers have shot and killed 214 black people in the US this year alone.