One man was critically injured and a police officer was hurt Wednesday in Charlotte as riot-geared police fired tear gas in a second night of unrest following the shooting of an African-American man after authorities said he had refused orders to drop a handgun.
The civilian who was injured remained on life support late Wednesday, according to a tweet from city officials:
Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts told Don Lemon on CNN the man was injured in a "civilian-on-civilian" shooting.
North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory declared a state of emergency and called out the National Guard and the state Highway Patrol:
"The main thing that I'm doing is providing assets to the police department," the Republican governor told Sean Hannity on Fox News.
Some protesters banged on glass windows, others threw objects at police and stood on cars as police fired their first round of tear gas, sending demonstrators scattering.
Three protesters were arrested, according to CNN, and reporter Ed Lavandera was knocked down by a demonstrator as he reported on the unrest in North Carolina's largest city.
Police fired more rounds tear gas to disperse protesters — numbering as many as 800 at one point — and while the crowd dispersed briefly, they soon regrouped and continued demonstrating.
Protesters hurled rocks, water bottles, fireworks, debris and trash cans at officers — and authorities also responded with rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades.
Wednesday's unrest began with a peaceful rally about 8 p.m. that turned violent after several hundred demonstrators marched through downtown with brief stops at a black church, police headquarters and a large entertainment venue called the EpiCentre.
As they approached downtown Charlotte's central intersection, protesters confronted patrol cars and officers lining the road about a block from the Omni Hotel, and began to surround groups of police and their vehicles.
Authorities blocked several businesses in the area, including the Omni and the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, which was damaged, Fox reported.
Protesters were also seen looting a convenience store after smashing its windows.
By 9:45 p.m., a line of police stretched across the city's main intersection in a standoff with protesters who yelled, "No justice, no peace."
A young boy held a sign saying, "My life matters."
Minutes later, police fired more tear gas and began pushing the crowd back. A man whom CNN's Lavandera reported was a public defender was working with officers to disperse the crowd.
By 10 p.m., police had ordered protesters off the streets — announcing they would arrest anyone who remained.
The latest unrest followed Tuesday's shooting death of Keith Lamont Scott, 43, an African-American. The officer who shot him, Brentley Vinson, 26, is also black.
"We are tired of people, especially police, killing our black men," Blanche Penn, a longtime community activist, said at the earlier rally.
"Charlotte has always been quiet," she said. "But now it's time to be loud."
Mike Smith, 27, a marketing manager in Charlotte, said tensions had been building among the local black community.
"These tensions, they popped yesterday and this is the outcome," he said.
In the first night of protests Tuesday and early Wednesday, 16 officers were injured.
According to police, Scott was armed and ignoring officers' orders when he was gunned down Tuesday, while the victim's family and a witness said he was holding a book, not a weapon.
Authorities have not released video of the incident, but Roberts said they planned to.
Roberts told CNN she would be viewing the video Thursday.
Scott's wife, Rakeyia, said in a statement Wednesday that her family was "devastated" and appealed for calm before the protest began.
"We have more questions than answers about Keith's death," she said.
Newsmax Writer Jason Devaney and wire services contributed to this report.