North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory likened the multiple videos showing the fatal police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott in Charlotte to watching football replays on TV.
Scott was shot dead by police Tuesday, sparking protests for three days straight. Officials in the state have refused to release police footage from a body camera and a dash camera of the incident. However, Scott’s wife released a cell-phone video to news outlets on Friday.
READ MORE: Keith Lamont Scott: Video shows part of fatal police shooting in Charlotte, N.C.
McCrory was speaking at a news conference in Raleigh N.C. Friday, addressing the protests as well as the recent floods in the state when he made the remarks.
“You’ve got to be extremely careful about how and when to release information,” McCrory told reporters.
“I hope you don’t take this in the wrong vein, but I watched a football game last week on TV and watched four different replays and each showed something different.
“You know, camera angles and everything mean a lot and there are a lot other circumstances involved in other situations. It’s not just the camera that’s involved in an incident, there are many other factors involved and it would be inappropriate to comment on those factors.”
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The comparison didn’t sit well with viewers and some took to Twitter to vent their disbelief.
The circumstances surrounding Scott’s death remain under investigation. There is no word yet on whether any officers involved will face charges.
Charlotte is the latest U.S. city to be shaken by protests and recriminations over the death of a black man at the hands of police, a list that includes Baltimore, Milwaukee, Chicago, New York and Ferguson, Missouri. In Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Thursday, prosecutors charged a white officer with manslaughter for killing an unarmed black man on a city street last week.
Wednesday’s protests turned violent, with 44 people arrested overall, but Thursday’s protests stayed peaceful after Charlotte’s mayor imposed a curfew.
*with files from the Associated Press