Keith Lamont Scott, a 43-year-old African American man, was fatally shot by a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department police officer, Brentley Vinson, on the afternoon of September 20, 2016, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Police officers arrived at an apartment complex to search for an unrelated man with an outstanding warrant. According to police, officers saw Scott exit a vehicle in the parking lot while carrying a handgun. Officers state that after Scott refused to drop the gun, Vinson, also an African American, fatally shot Scott.
Vinson was placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation. The shooting sparked both peaceful protests and violent riots in Charlotte over two nights. One person died and multiple officers and civilians were injured as a result of the unrest.