The mother of Keith Scott says her 43-year-old son was reading his Koran in the parking lot of a Charlotte, North Carolina, apartment complex when he was shot dead by a police officer Tuesday.

Scott's killing was followed by violent riots and bouts of looting that engulfed the city, leaving one protester dead, nine injured and 44 others arrested.

Police in Charlotte have said that Scott was shot after he refused orders to drop a gun he was holding, but the man's family said the item he was holding was a book, not a firearm.

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Mother speaks out: Vernita Scott Walker (left) says her son, Keith Scott (right), 43, was reading a Koran in his truck when he was shot by a police officer in North Carolina Tuesday

Last call: Walker revealed that just before a black police officer shot him, her son dialed his mother's number one last time, and she heard him say his middle name, 'Lamont'

In an exclusive interview with the station WCSC Thursday night, Scott's mother, Vernita Scott Walker, claimed that the book her son was reading in his truck was the Koran, which he used to do every day while waiting to pick up his son from school.

'He loved to read that book,' Mrs Walker said of the holy text of Islam.

Scott's mother also revealed that just before a black police officer shot him, the 43-year-old dialed his mother's number one last time.

The call from Keith Scott came in at 2.22pm Tuesday and went to voicemail, which consisted of noises and the man apparently stating his middle name, 'Lamont.'

'And he done got shot. And he called me, yes, he did, he called me,' Walker said. 'He just wanted me to know that it was him.'

The woman only learned of her son's death later, when she turned on one of the news channels on TV.

Riots: A protester walks the streets of downtown as people protest the police shooting of Keith Scott in Charlotte, North Carolina, Thursday night

Police in riot gear keep demonstrators off the highway in Charlotte, which became engufled in violence after the deadly shooting

Plea: Vernita Walker appealed to demonstrators in Charlotte, pictured above on Thursday night, asking them to 'give up the rioting'

Vernita Scott Walker said she got another call from Keith earlier on the day of the shooting.

'I said, "I love you, son," and he said, "I love you, mama," and that's the first time he ever said it like that,' she recalled.

According to Ms Walker, her son had suffered a serious brain injury in a motorcycle crash in November, as a result of which he stuttered and sometimes could not recall what he said.

In the interview, the mother criticized the media for drudging up her son's past criminal history, saying that while Keith was 'not perfect,' she did not appreciate perceived efforts to 'malign' and 'discredit' him in the eyes of the public.

Ms Walker also appealed to demonstrators in Charlotte, asking them to 'give up the rioting.'

U.S. National guard troops look on as people march through downtown to protest the police shooting of Keith Scott in Charlotte on Thursday

'Y’all can have a peaceful walk or anything else that y’all want to do but rioting is not helping this situation,' she said. 'It’s making it worse.'

She added that Keith, who was a father of seven, would never have allowed his children to take part in the violent clashes that have been tearing Charlotte apart.

'The hardest part now is for y’all to ease away, y’all say a prayer altogether and y’all leave all that rioting and stuff alone,' she said.

A crowd of hundreds gathered, chanted and marched Thursday, demanding justice for Scott for the third consecutive night.

Scott's family say the father-of-seven suffered a serious brain injury in a bike accident in November and sometime had lapses in his memory

Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to break up crowds blocking traffic on a highway. National Guard troops backed up a robust police presence in the town center, helping to restrain protesters chanting ‘Whose streets? Our streets,’ as helicopters circled overhead.

Despite the outbursts, the demonstrations were calmer than those on the previous two nights. Rioters had smashed storefront windows, looted businesses and thrown objects at police, prompting officials to declare a state of emergency and the city's mayor to enact a curfew.

Scott’s family viewed police videos of his shooting on Thursday and asked for them to be made public, stepping up the pressure for their release.

On Friday, Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts said she, too, thinks the video should be released.

'I do believe the video should be released,' she said during a news conference on Friday. 'The question is on the timing'.

Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts said during a news conference she believed video of Scott's shooting should be made public

In an interview with Reuters early Friday, Justin Bamberg, one of the lawyers who is representing Scott's family, said the video shows that the 43-year-old did not make any aggressive moves towards police.

‘There's nothing in that video that shows him acting aggressively, threatening or maybe dangerous,’ Bamberg said.

Scott was moving slowly, ‘like an old man,’ as he got out of the car, the lawyer recounted.

Earlier in the day, Bamberg said in a statement that it was ‘impossible to discern’ from the videos what, if anything, Scott was holding in his hands.