DA: “Officer Vinson Acted Lawfully”

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – “Officer Vinson acted lawfully when he shot Mr. Scott. He acted lawfully,” said Mecklenburg County District Attorney Andrew Murray. He stood in front of live TV cameras and reporters for more than an hour Wednesday, explaining the Keith Scott shooting investigation in unprecedented detail, including the moment Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officer Brentley Vinson told investigators that he decided Scott was a threat.

Murray says, “Mr. Scott looked at Vinson, then looked in the direction of each officer, then looked back at Vinson.”

Murray went through a rundown of hotly debated points in the case. He said there was no book, but there was a gun: a stolen, Colt .380 semi-automatic. Murray said, “It had one round in the chamber, the safety was off, and the gun was cocked.”

Murray revealed Facebook messages from the gun seller. He also said multiple people who claimed to be eye witnesses, and spread their stories over social media and TV reports, later recanted when questioned by investigators, including a woman who, “…later told the SBI she was in her apartment at the time of the shooting.”

In fact, Murray says Scott’s wife also told conflicting stories, maintaining publicly that her husband did not have a gun, despite this: “Text messages between Mr. and Mrs. Scott the month before the shooting include an argument about a gun in Mr. Scott’s possession.”

Murray says his office will not pursue charges against her.

And finally, Murray spoke directly to the community and those he knows are frustrated by the announcement. He said, “Let me be clear: I am not and will not condone violence or property damage as a means of expression. But the fact that criminal charges are not appropriate under the law, in this particular case, does not mean we can dismiss the concerns expressed by those who raised their voices and raised the consciousness of this community.”

Murray says more than 63 SBI investigators spend more than 2,300 hours “meticulously” going over the September shooting death of Mr. Scott. In an unusual move, Murray has released much of the investigative file to the public. Click here to be directed to the file.