CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The family of Keith Lamont Scott, who was shot and killed by a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer in 2016, plans to file a lawsuit against the city and the police department, according to sources.
The attorney for the Scott family says he expects to file a lawsuit on their behalf early this week.
[RELATED: City of Charlotte will not offer settlement to Keith Scott's family]
Scott was shot and killed by police Sept. 20, 2016, outside his apartment in the University area.
The shooting set off days of protests and riots across the city.
The district attorney determined the officer who pulled the trigger, Brentley Vinson, was justified in the shooting. CMPD also cleared Vinson of any wrongdoing in its internal investigation.
Channel 9 covered the shooting and the unrest that followed extensively:
- Minute-by-minute coverage: Keith Lamont Scott shooting
- DA says CMPD officer 'acted lawfully' in shooting death of Keith Scott
- Keith Scott's fingerprints, DNA, blood found on gun, police sources say
Surveillance video of last year's deadly protest shooting released
Last year, the Citizens Review Board, which investigates complaints about police conduct, split four to four on the question of whether police acted correctly.
Attorneys have two years to file a lawsuit in wrongful death cases.
Sources told Channel 9 the Scott family could file their case against the city and police department as early as Tuesday.
Attorney Brad Smith has filed wrongful death lawsuits on behalf of clients and said Scott’s attorneys are likely to focus on some of the key issues in the case other than race, like whether the police were trained to handle his situation.
[SPECIAL SECTION: Officer-involved shooting]
“I think this case will probably have a lot to do with training,” Smith said. “It'll have a lot to do with how to handle somebody that has some mental health issues.”
Attorneys for the Scott family have not commented. The city attorney said he has not seen the lawsuit yet but expects that to change any day now.
This will be the second lawsuit filed against the city over an officer-involved shooting.
The family of Josue Javier Diaz is also suing. Diaz was involved in a confrontation on Abemarle Road with an undercover officer last January.
The officer shot him six times.
The officer was cleared, but the family claims the officer violated several departmental policies.
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