Protest erupts in northeast Charlotte after deadly officer-involved shooting

Image from WSOC-TV

CHARLOTTE - Police in North Carolina have shot and killed a person who they say was armed and posed a threat.



A statement from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said officers were at an apartment complex on Tuesday looking for a suspect with an outstanding warrant when they encountered a person - not the suspect they were looking for - inside a car. Officials say the person exited the car with a gun, then got back in.



The statement said when officers approached the car, the person got out of the car with the gun again. The officers considered the person to be a threat and fired their weapons. Emergency personnel took the person to Carolinas Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. The suspect's identity hasn't been released.



The officers have been placed on administrative leave.

Video from WCCB-TV in Charlotte showed police in riot gear confronting protesters.



The officers were shown backing up as protesters advanced down the street Tuesday night. Initial reports say at least 100 protesters gathered at the scene, with some throwing water bottles at police.



The police officers were in riot gear stretched across a two-lane road. Some of the officers flanked the main line on one side of the road



Some protesters were heard yelling "Black lives matter," and "Hands up, don't shoot!" One person held up a sign saying "Stop Killing Us."

Television station aerial coverage is showing protesters breaking windows on a police vehicle.



On WSOC-TV footage Tuesday night, several of the vehicle's windows appeared to be broken and the windshield shattered. Demonstrators lingered after the initial damage.



The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has posted on its Twitter account that demonstrators are destroying marked police vehicles and one officer has sustained injuries that are not life threatening.



Earlier, a tow truck was brought in to take another police cruiser away. Local media outlets reported that car suffered damage to its rear end.



One television news crew has retreated from the scene after demonstrators began rocking their remote van, which was parked near the apartment complex where the shooting occurred.



Overhead, the CMPD helicopter hovered, shining a spotlight on the protest.