CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Thursday marks a solemn anniversary in Charlotte. It’s now been two years since the deadly police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott.
Scott's death sparked days of protest and riots in uptown. The officer involved in the shooting, Brentley Vinson, was not charged. District Attorney Andrew Murray said the decision not to charge Vinson came after a unanimous opinion from 15 "career prosecutors."
In August, Scott's family filed a lawsuit vs the City of Charlotte and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department for wrongful death. An attorney representing the family said they felt a lawsuit was their only option after multiple attempts to find a resolution failed.
"We've attempted to resolve this thing," said attorney Justin Bamberg. "Unfortunately, we've been unable to do that. And at this point, we have to turn to the courts and let this thing play out through the judicial process."
The family's 21-page complain says the city and CMPD were "grossly negligent" and caused Scott's death and asserts that officers targeted him without reason on September 20, 2016.
Undercover officers responded to the Village Downs apartments in northeast Charlotte for an investigation unrelated to Scott. At the time, one of the officers smelled marijuana and claimed to see a gun when Scott was in his vehicle. Body cameras captured the entire incident, including the shooting.
Last August, the Charlotte Citizens Review Board was split 4-4 on whether they felt the shooting of Scott was justified. The board's chair said they would make policy recommendations to CMPD after the vote.
"He didn't deserve to die because he had so much to live for," said Rakeyia Scott, the widow of Keith Scott.
The family is asking for a minimum of $60,000 to pay for the wrongful death.
NBC Charlotte's Ruby Durham reached out to City of Charlotte officials and has not heard back at this time.
