Sunday’s noon kickoff between the Vikings and Panthers in Charlotte is still on, despite a state of emergency being declared and National Guard troops being deployed to help contain violent protesting after a recent police shooting.
Fox 46 in Charlotte is reporting that the NFL and Panthers have discussed the possibility of moving the game.
Keith Lamont Scott, a 43-year-old black man, was shot and killed by an officer Tuesday near the University of North Carolina Charlotte, NBC News reports. Police say he was armed and told multiple times to drop his weapon. But the man’s family says that isn’t true, and his death has sparked demonstrations – some turning violent – in the past two days.
“He was seated in (the car) when he was approached, but when he exited that vehicle, he was given clear commands to drop the weapon — and he did not do that,” a police spokesman told CNN. “So he was armed when he came out of that vehicle and refused to listen to officers.”
Video footage of the shooting hasn’t been made public but the family of Scott is expected to see the video on Thursday.
NFL keeping the game in Charlotte
After the back-to-back nights of protesting, (which includes one man on life support after being shot, not by local police, the city says), the Carolina Panthers issued a statement saying Sunday’s game against Minnesota is on as scheduled, as they monitor the situation.
“We are in contact with government officials, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and the NFL,” Panthers President Danny Morrison said in a statement. “We are continuing to monitor events as we prepare for Sunday’s home game.”
Statement from Carolina #Panthers President Danny Morrison pic.twitter.com/T8yFYsj42W
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) September 22, 2016
The NFL released a similar statement.
Our statement on Vikings-Panthers game on Sunday pic.twitter.com/LvH59fyAJf
— Brian McCarthy (@NFLprguy) September 22, 2016
The streets in downtown Charlotte are quiet Thursday morning, according to the Charlotte Observer, but that wasn’t the case as protests turned violent the last two nights. The activity was centered about a mile from Bank of America Stadium, where Sunday’s Vikings-Panthers game is scheduled to be played.
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