Charlotte police released body camera and dashboard videos on Saturday showing the fatal shooting of a black man that triggered protests in the North Carolina city, but the footage did not show whether the victim was holding a gun.

A dashboard camera from a police car showed Keith Scott, killed on Tuesday, exiting his car and backing away from it. Police shout to him to drop the gun, but it is not clear that he has anything in his hand. Then shots break out and Scott drops to the ground.

A second body camera video from an officer does not show the moment of shooting. It shows Scott outside his vehicle before he is shot, but it is not clear whether he has something in his hand. Then the officer moves and Scott is out of view until he is seen on the ground.

Police also released photos showing what they say showed a handgun and marijuana that were in Scott's possession.

Open gallery view A pistol that police said was in the possession of Keith Lamont Scott is seen in a picture provided by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department in Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. September 24, 2016 Credit: Reuters

Family of Keith Scott, who was killed on Tuesday, said the footage showed Scott was not acting aggressively and said the police shooting did not make sense.

But the family, which on Friday released its own video of the encounter, said the two videos do not answer key questions and said they do not know enough now to form an opinion on whether the officer who killed Scott should be charged.

"Unfortunately we are left with far more questions than we have answers," Ray Dotch, Scott's brother-in-law, said. "It does not make sense to us how this incident resulted in the loss of life."

Dotch, who said that he himself is a member of the media, noted that much of the media attention has focused on what kind of person Scott was, whether "he was a good person."

"Of course he was," Dotch said, but added that that is not what truly matters. "He was an American citizen who deserved better," he said.

Scott was shot by Officer Brentley Vinson, who is also black.

Before releasing the footage, Chief Kerr Putney said at a news conference that he received assurances from the State Bureau of Investigation that letting the public see the video would not impact their independent probe of the shooting.

Asked whether he expected the footage to calm protesters, Putney responded: "The footage itself will not create in anyone's mind absolute certainty as to what this case represents and what the outcome should be. The footage only supports all of the other information" such as physical evidence and statements from witnesses and officers.

Open gallery view Kerr Putney, chief of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police. Credit: AFP / Sean Rayford

At his news conference, Putney said that his officers didn't break the law but noted that the State Bureau of Investigation is continuing its investigation.

"Officers are absolutely not being charged by me at this point, but again, there's another investigation ongoing," he said.

Putney said that Scott was "absolutely in possession of a handgun," and that officers also saw marijuana in his car — prompting them to act.

Amid anxiety and unease over the shooting of Scott, demonstrations in Charlotte have gone from violent to peaceful, although demands to see video of the encounter remained at the forefront of discussions for those taking to the streets.

Many of the hundreds massed outside at the Charlotte police department building on Saturday afternoon chanted the name "Keith Scott." The 43-year-old black man was shot to death by a black officer on Tuesday.

They also chanted, "No tapes, no peace" and raised signs including one reading "Stop Killing The Black People." Community organizers have said they expected that protests would continue in some form until the videos were released.

The city has been on edge ever since Scott's shooting death on Tuesday. The demonstrations reached a violent crescendo on Wednesday before the National Guard was called in a day later 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.

Charlotte is the latest U.S. city to be shaken by protests and recriminations over the death of a black man at the hands of police, a list that includes Baltimore, Milwaukee, Chicago, New York and Ferguson, Missouri.

Earlier in the week, the Charlotte protests turned violent, with demonstrators attacking reporters and others, setting fires and smashing windows of hotels, office buildings and restaurants.

Forty-four people were arrested after Wednesday's protests, and one protester who was shot died at a hospital Thursday. City officials said police did not shoot 26-year-old Justin Carr. A suspect was arrested, but police provided few details.

On Thursday, protests were largely peaceful after National Guard members came to the city to help keep order and the mayor imposed a curfew.