After revelations that Keith Lamont Scott not only spent time in prison for shooting someone, but that he was also accused by his wife last year of violent behavior and of threatening her and her son with a gun, the networks have mostly been silent on the developments that would help discredit accusations that the police planted a gun on Scott after shooting him.
Out of the morning and evening newscasts on the three broadcast networks, only the NBC Nightly News on Tuesday and CBS This Morning from Wednesday have given any attention to the development. And, while FNC's Fox and Friends morning show on Tuesday aired a few briefs on the subject, CNN's New Day show has so far ignored the revelations, in spite of spending more than 14 minutes out of its three hours on the issue of police shootings on Wednesday's program.
But, with the exception of NBC's Today show, all the broadcast network morning and evening news casts managed to devote time to other developments in Charlotte as they focused on the heartrending story of a nine-year-old girl who tearfully expressed her worries that blacks are being targeted by the police as she spoke in front of the city council.
Her fears are not shocking given that the dominant news media repeatedly cherry pick examples of black criminal suspects being killed by the police while white suspects seldomly receive attention, in spite of Washington Post data finding that whites who have been shot and killed by the police in 2015 and 2016 have outnumbered blacks by a 2-1 margin.
All of the broadcast network shows in question on Wednesday also turned attention to a new police shooting, this time involving a mentally ill black man in San Diego who has been shown in a still shot appearing like he was taking aim at the police with his hands before being shot and killed, although he turned out to be unarmed.
Returning to Charlotte, on Tuesday's NBC Nightly News, anchor Lester Holt set up the latest as he announced:
We're back now with new details in the deadly police shooting that sparked a week of protests in Charlotte. We've learned that the wife of the man who was killed took out an order of protection against him last year. And with emotion still very raw in Charlotte, a little girl has captured the nation's attention with her emotional plea to city officials.
After recalling nine-year-old Zianna Oliphant's emotional plea to the city council, NBC correspondent Gabe Gutierrez moved to the latest revelations in the case:
Now, NBC News has obtained this application for a protective order filed last October. Rakeyia Scott wrote that her husband had a gun but no permit because he was a felon. "He kicked me and threatened to kill us last night with his gun." The next month, she had the order dismissed because she claimed he no longer posed a threat.
The report then moved to recall the Scott family's attorney trying to dismiss the significance of Scott's history.
After skipping the story on Tuesday morning, CBS This Morning caught up on Wednesday, and began with a more dismissive tone toward the developments. After host Charlie Rose did not specifically mention the criminal history revelations as he set up the report, correspondent Errol Barnett immediately forwarded the Scott family's spin downplaying his criminal history. Barnett:
Witnesses and the Keith Scott family deny or say it's unclear if Keith Scott had a gun. And even though there are new questions about his history with weapons, Scott's supporters say his record doesn't change what happened during his deadly encounter with police. Dash cam and body cam videos fail to show exactly what led to last Tuesday's fatal shooting of Keith Lamont Scott.
Barnett then added:
Our CBS affiliate, WBTV is reporting that the gun recovered at the scene was stolen by someone else and sold to Scott. Past incidents show the 43-year-old had a history with firearms. In 2005, Scott did prison time in Texas after shooting a man. Last October, Scott's wife, Rakeyia, filed for a protective order, accusing Scott of threatening her with his gun before dropping the request.
Below are complete transcripts of relevant reports from the Tuesday, September 27, NBC Nightly News, and the Wednesday, September 28, CBS This Morning:
#September 27 NBC Nightly News:
LESTER HOLT: We're back now with new details in the deadly police shooting that sparked a week of protests in Charlotte. We've learned that the wife of the man who was killed took out an order of protection against him last year. And with emotion still very raw in Charlotte, a little girl has captured the nation's attention with her emotional plea to city officials. We get more from NBC's Gabe Gutierrez.
GABE GUTIERREZ: It was already a contentious Charlotte city council meeting when nine-year-old Zianna Oliphant captured the frustration of so many.
ZIANNA OLIPHANT, NINE-YEAR-OLD GIRL: We have black people, and we shouldn't have to feel like this. We shouldn't have to protest because y'all are treating us wrong. We do this because we need to have rights.
RAKEYIA SCOTT AUDIO: He doesn't have a gun-
GUTIERREZ: A week ago today, Rakeyia Scott shot this cell phone footage of her husband's final moments. His family insists that the three videos released so far don't prove he was armed. But police say a gun found at the scene has his fingerprints and DNA. Now, NBC News has obtained this application for a protective order filed last October. Rakeyia Scott wrote that her husband had a gun but no permit because he was a felon. "He kicked me and threatened to kill us last night with his gun." The next month, she had the order dismissed because she claimed he no longer posed a threat.
TODD WALTHER, FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE: I don't think there's a question anymore that Mr. Scott was not armed.
GUTIERREZ: The Scott family attorney calls the protective order irrelevant and raises new questions about the officers' actions. The first part of the camera video is silent, suggesting that the officer did not activate the device until this point after Scott had been shot.
JUSTIN BAMBERG, SCOTT FAMILY ATTORNEY: There's evidence -- there are things that we could have seen, things that we could have heard that are forever lost because this officer failed to follow CMPD policies and procedures with regard to his body camera.
ZIANNA OLIPHANT: It just makes me feel like that's not right-
GUTIERREZ: For the Oliphant family, the death of Keith Scott has struck a nerve.
PRECIOUS OLIPHANT, MOTHER OF ZIANNA OLIPHANT: We don't hate the police. We hate how we are treated by the police, how we are targeted by the police.
GUTIERREZ: A case where so many questions remain unanswered and emotions are still raw. Gabe Gutierrez, NBC News.
#September 28 CBS This Morning:
CHARLIE ROSE: A suspicious package that forced the evacuation of Charlotte's police headquarters is the latest evidence the city remains on edge. A bomb squad safely removed the package yesterday with a robot. The scare follows last week's deadly shooting of Keith Lamont Scott. There are still questions surrounding his confrontation with officers. Errol Barnett is outside the police department in Charlotte with new information. Errol, good morning.
ERROL BARNETT: Good morning. Witnesses and the Keith Scott family deny or say it's unclear if Keith Scott had a gun. And even though there are new questions about his history with weapons, Scott's supporters say his record doesn't change what happened during his deadly encounter with police. Dash cam and body cam videos fail to show exactly what led to last Tuesday's fatal shooting of Keith Lamont Scott.
Our CBS affiliate, WBTV is reporting that the gun recovered at the scene was stolen by someone else and sold to Scott. Past incidents show the 43-year-old had a history with firearms. In 2005, Scott did prison time in Texas after shooting a man. Last October, Scott's wife, Rakeyia, filed for a protective order, accusing Scott of threatening her with his gun before dropping the request. The body cam video appears to have started recording late, lacking video for the first 24 seconds. Show me how a manual recording is initiated.
STEVE WILLIS, POLICE OFFICER: When an officer decides that he wants to do a recording, he'll double tap this big center button here, and the camera will begin recording.
BARNETT: Body cameras are new to Charlotte police. In 2015, the city spent $7 million implementing 1,400 cameras. Major Steve Willis says tactical teams, like most of the officers on scene at Scott's shooting, don't wear the equipment.
WILLIS: All of those recordings are susceptible to be released by a defendant, then are susceptible to be released to the media, which could potentially put those officers at risk in the future because now we are publicizing the tactics.
BARNETT: Scott's death caused violent protests in Charlotte and rattled members of the community-
ZIANNA OLIPHANT, NINE-YEAR-OLD GIRL: We need our fathers and mothers.
BARNETT: -including nine-year-old Zianna Oliphant, who made a tearful plea at a recent city council meeting.
OLIPHANT: We are protesting because we want to have our rights and we want to have peace, and we want to be treated the same way as other people.
BARNETT: Now, we should note there is more footage the CMPD has yet to release, but on Saturday a new law goes into effect removing body and dash cam videos from the public record. Norah, it's the same day the Scott family plans to hold its funeral.
