After giving a substantial amount of attention to the case of Keith Lamont Scott being shot and killed by Charlotte police, with his wife disputing police accounts that he was holding a gun when he was shot, CNN this week has barely touched the important revelations that Scott not only was a convicted felon who had a history of gun violence, but that his wife even filed a protective order last year accusing him of threatening her and her son with a gun.
If CNN were your only source of news, you would either have to be watching Jake Tapper's show, The Lead, on Tuesday afternoon, or you needed to be awake before 5:00 a.m. ET early Wednesday morning to see any mention of these very relevant developments. Even while reporting the story on Early Start, co-anchors John Berman and Christine Romans seemed so uncomfortable at having to report the news that they tried to downplay the significance, suggesting that the revelations really do not bolster the case for the police point of view. A Nexis search finds no sign that Scott's criminal history has been mentioned on any other CNN show.
On Wednesday morning, CNN's primary morning show, New Day, avoided giving viewers this critical update, in spite of devoting more than 14 minutes of its three hours to discussing police shootings, including the one that occurred in El Cajon, California, involving a mentally disturbed man.
And as recently as Thursday night, CNN anchor Don Lemon on his CNN Tonight show was still giving the overall Charlotte story attention as he interviewed a nine-year-old girl who gave an emotional speech to the city council expressing fears that the black population are mistreated by police. even though the CNN anchor has not taken time this week to inform viewers of the shooting victim's criminal history which bolsters the police.
On Tuesday, nearing the end of The Lead with Jake Tapper, host Tapper previewed the revelations before a commercial break:
JAKE TAPPER: The video is horrifying, a wife pleading with police not to shoot her husband, saying he's not dangerous.
RAKEYIA SCOTT FROM VIDEO: Don't shoot him! Don't shoot him! He has no weapon! He has no weapon!
TAPPER: Months earlier, we're now learning, Keith Lamont Scott's wife was telling police a very different story.
After Zianna Oliphant's speech to the Charlotte city council was recalled, correspondent Polo Sandoval appeared to fill viewers in on Scott's history, and began his report with the Scott family attorney trying to dismiss the significance of the revelations:
I spoke to Justin Bamberg. He's one of the Scott family attorneys, and he tells me that Mrs. Scott was simply pleading with her husband to be still during those moments leading up to that fateful shooting. So that obviously answers the question, that lingering question of what she was referring to when saying, "Don't do it." Bamberg also responding to new information that's surfacing this afternoon about Scott's history with guns and domestic violence. The attorney arguing it should not be pertinent to this investigation.
After a clip of Rakeyia Scott shouting to police that her husband "has no weapon," Sandoval continued:
Less than a year before, Rakeyia Scott pleaded with police officers not to shoot her husband, she was asking the state to keep him away from her and her children, citing incidents of domestic violence. Documents filed by Rakeyia Scott last October show she asked the state to impose a protective order against her husband, saying he hurt one of her children. In her initial complaint, Mrs. Scott wrote: "He hit my eight-year-old son in the head a total of three times with his fist and kicked me on 10/2/2015"
The CNN correspondent added:
The same court records suggest Scott did have a gun last year. Mrs. Scott makes reference to a weapon in her complaint, writing, "He kicked me and threatened to kill us last night with his gun. He said he is a 'killer' and we should know that." She adds, "He does not have a permit, he is a felon."
Sandoval then moved to the Scott family attorney trying to downplay the significance of a criminal record:
Justin Bamberg, the Scott family attorney, argues this new information does not change their case. Not only did Mrs. Scott lift the order a month after filing it, they have no record of her husband owning a gun after a traffic accident last November that left him with a traumatic brain injury. Bamberg tells CNN, quote, "At the end of the day, regardless of what salacious facts come out about his past, none of that effects whether or not he deserved to be shot."
The CNN correspondent recalled other domestic violence problems from 2004, and then relayed more spin from the Scott family's point of view dismissing the relevance of a past criminal history:
Mrs. Scott also filed for a protective order after an earlier domestic violence incident that she described back in 2004. But, again, Scott family attorneys maintained even the Charlotte police chief's account of what happened includes absolutely no indication that officers knew about Mr. Scott's criminal past or that he even had previous access to a weapon, Jake. What they argue is that what should matter is what took place in that parking lot a week ago when a black officer shot and killed Keith Scott, an African-American man.
Sandoval did not note that Scott's felonious history involved him shooting a man and also shooting at police officers.
If you were up early the next morning, at 4:15 a.m. ET you might have witnessed CNN anchors Berman and Romans giving attention to, but also dismissing the story. After reading the revelations, Berman felt the need to deliver a disclaimer suggesting that the news does not really bolster the police case
Just want to note one thing here, and observers will tell you this on both sides. Whatever Scott's record was before this incident, it does not speak to what happened at that moment. And it does not speak to what police knew about him when they pulled up there. They were there to serve a warrant on another man. So no matter what his past was, that's not something police knew. So it did not play into whether or not their shooting of him was justified or not.
Roman's agreed, "All right, that's a very good point."
Half an hour later, another brief on the subject was read, this time by Romans. She similarly tried to pour cold water on its significance in bolstering the police story: "Now, to be clear, these revelations are not proof of wrongdoing by Mr. Scott in his encounter with police. That, of course, will depend upon the outcome of that investigation."
Without getting the point that, because some on the left have disputed police accounts and accused them of planting a gun next to Scott's body, information that he did have a history of gun crimes bolsters the police story, Berman dismissively added: "Right, you know, the officers, they were there serving a warrant. They had no idea what his past was, his record was. So it only matters what they saw and what they felt at that time."
Romans agreed, "That's right."
In the second hour of Early Start, the Keith Scott criminal history story was dropped as the show updated viewers on the El Cajon, California, police shooting, and the story was also not included on New Day.
Below are transcripts of relevant portions of the Tuesday, September 27, The Lead with Jake Tapper, the Wednesday, September 28, Early Start, and the Thursday, September 29, CNN Tonight:
#Tuesday, September 27, The Lead with Jake Tapper:
4:47 p.m. ET
JAKE TAPPER: The video is horrifying, a wife pleading with police not to shoot her husband, saying he's not dangerous.RAKEYIA SCOTT FROM VIDEO: Don't shoot him! Don't shoot him! He has no weapon! He has no weapon!
TAPPER: Months earlier, we're now learning, Keith Lamont Scott's wife was telling police a very different story.
(...)
4:53 p.m. ET
TAPPER: That little girl's comments come a week after the shooting death of Keith Lamont Scott last Tuesday. A week later, we are learning of reported violence in his past. CNN's Polo Sandoval joins me now. Polo, are there any hints as to what his now widow was referring to when she kept yelling, "Don't do it," during the confrontation?POLO SANDOVAL: Well, Jake, I spoke to Justin Bamberg. He's one of the Scott family attorneys, and he tells me that Mrs. Scott was simply pleading with her husband to be still during those moments leading up to that fateful shooting. So that obviously answers the question, that lingering question of what she was referring to when saying, "Don't do it." Bamberg also responding to new information that's surfacing this afternoon about Scott's history with guns and domestic violence. The attorney arguing it should not be pertinent to this investigation.
RAKEYIA SCOTT FROM VIDEO: He has no weapon! He has no weapon!
SANDOVAL: Less than a year before, Rakeyia Scott pleaded with police officers not to shoot her husband, she was asking the state to keep him away from her and her children, citing incidents of domestic violence. Documents filed by Rakeyia Scott last October show she asked the state to impose a protective order against her husband, saying he hurt one of her children. In her initial complaint, Mrs. Scott wrote: "He hit my eight-year-old son in the head a total of three times with his fist and kicked me on 10/2/2015"
The same court records suggest Scott did have a gun last year. Mrs. Scott makes reference to a weapon in her complaint, writing, "He kicked me and threatened to kill us last night with his gun. He said he is a 'killer' and we should know that." She adds, "He does not have a permit, he is a felon."
Justin Bamberg, the Scott family attorney, argues this new information does not change their case. Not only did Mrs. Scott lift the order a month after filing it, they have no record of her husband owning a gun after a traffic accident last November that left him with a traumatic brain injury. Bamberg tells CNN, quote, "At the end of the day, regardless of what salacious facts come out about his past, none of that effects whether or not he deserved to be shot."
This new information may not calm the concerns of the community still reeling with the shooting. Even the youngest of Charlotte's residents called for change at a city council meeting.
ZIANNA OLIPHANT, NINE-YEAR-OLD: It's a shame that our fathers and mothers are killed, and we can't even see them anymore.
SANDOVAL: Emotions still raw and high there in North Carolina, and Mrs. Scott also filed for a protective order after an earlier domestic violence incident that she described back in 2004. But, again, Scott family attorneys maintained even the Charlotte police chief's account of what happened includes absolutely no indication that officers knew about Mr. Scott's criminal past or that he even had previous access to a weapon, Jake. What they argue is that what should matter is what took place in that parking lot a week ago when a black officer shot and killed Keith Scott, an African-American man.
#Wednesday, September 28, Early Start:
4:15 a.m. ET
JOHN BERMAN: All right, court documents reveal Keith Scott -- the black man killed by Charlotte police -- owned a gun and had threatened to kill his wife and son last year. CNN affiliate WSOC reports his wife got a domestic violence protective order against him. The court records show Scott had an unlicensed gun and was a convicted felon. Charlotte police have said Scott had a weapon when he was fatally shot last week. The Scott family insists he was not armed. Videos released by police and the family are inconclusive.Just want to note one thing here, and observers will tell you this on both sides. Whatever Scott's record was before this incident, it does not speak to what happened at that moment. And it does not speak to what police knew about him when they pulled up there. They were there to serve a warrant on another man. So no matter what his past was, that's not something police knew. So it did not play into whether or not their shooting of him was justified or not.
CHRISTINE ROMANS: All right, that's a very good point.
(...)
4:46 a.m. ET
ROMANS: Court documents reveal Keith Scott -- the man killed by Charlotte police -- owned a gun and had threatened to kill his wife and son last year. CNN affiliate WSOC reports his wife received a domestic violence protective order against him. The court records show Scott had an unlicensed gun and was a convicted felon. Charlotte police have said Scott had a weapon when he was fatally shot last week. The Scott family insists he was not armed. Videos released by police and the family are simply inconclusive.Now, to be clear, these revelations are not proof of wrongdoing by Mr. Scott in his encounter with police. That, of course, will depend upon the outcome of that investigation.
BERMAN: Right, you know, the officers, they were there serving a warrant. They had no idea what his past was, his record was. So it only matters what they saw and what they felt at that time.
ROMANS: That's right.
#Thursday, September 29, CNN Tonight:
DON LEMON: The fatal police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott sparked protests in Charlotte, North Carolina, and across the country. And on Monday, a nine-year-old named Zianna Oliphant addressed the Charlotte City Council. What she said made headlines around the world. Listen.
Zianna Oliphant joins me now, along with her mother, Precious. Thank you both for coming on. Hi, Zianna. I'm so glad that you could be here. You're not going to get shy on me now, I know, because you showed such courage in that video. What made you get up there and want to do that?
Are you happy you did it?
Why?
How have people reacted to your speech?
So, Zianna, tell me what it's been like in Charlotte to see, like, seeing all the protests, seeing all the tension between the police and the community and the people out in the street and the people, you know, just sort of in an uproar. What has it been like?
You said that her speech was unplanned. I mean, were surprised that she got up there in front of all those people and did that?
So what have people been saying to you about it?
What are people saying?
Zianna, do you think that you're going to continue to go to these meetings? Are you going to continue to speak out? Are have you just got this off your heart and you're fine now?
Well, oh, to be nine years old again. Thank you, Zianna. Thanks, Precious.
