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Curfew lifted in U.S. city Charlotte despite continued protests

Xinhua, September 26, 2016 Adjust font size:

The U.S. city of Charlotte, North Carolina on Sunday lifted a curfew imposed since Thursday though protests continued for the sixth day against a fatal police shooting.

In a tweet posted online Sunday evening, Mayor Jennifer Roberts and Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners Trevor Fuller announced the order, effective immediately, to lift the curfew, which was imposed Thursday after two nights of violent riots ignited by the fatal shooting of Keith Lamont Scott, a 43-year-old African American, by police on Tuesday.

Tension was still high in the city Sunday, as more than 100 protesters gathered outside the Bank of America Stadium where the Carolina Panthers played against the Minnesota Vikings in a football game, local media reported.

Security was also very tight outside the stadium as a number of riot police were deployed to guard against possible violence.

Roberts continued to urge the community to come together and show their unity in a peaceful and legal manner.

Scott was shot and killed by a police officer Tuesday afternoon after ignoring police orders to drop a gun. But his family said he was only holding a book instead of a gun.

The shooting immediately ignited protests late Tuesday by African Americans against racial discrimination and injustice by police against black people.

The protests quickly turned violent as rioters clashed with police, damaged properties, and even assaulted innocent people and journalists.

The riots continued on Wednesday night, when a state of emergency was declared in the city by North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory, who ordered National Guard troops and Highway Patrol officers to assist local police in restoring order in the city.

More than a dozen police officers were wounded and 44 rioters have been arrested in the past days.

Violence has died down since Thursday night, though protests by African Americans continued as they demanded justice and transparency by police, including releasing police videos of the fatal shooting.

Under public pressure, the Charlotte police on Saturday released two police videos of the shooting, in which Scott was not shown pointing a gun or obviously threatening the officers.

Scott's family members said the videos left them with more questions than answers about the shooting as nothing in the videos justifies the shooting. Endi