Charlotte Police: ‘It Was Not Lawful’ for Scott to Possess a Gun ‘Given the Circumstances’

RUSH TRANSCRIPT:
REPORTER: "Chief, sources have told us when you talk about the DNA, Mr. Scott’s DNA covered on the firearm, and since today is a new day, I’ll ask you again. Was it lawful for him to possess the firearm?"
PUTNEY: "It was not lawful, given the - circumstances. The reason I say that is — what I’ll say is there was a crime that he had committed that caused the encounter. And then the gun exacerbated that situation. And you’ll see — go ahead, I’m sorry."
REPORTER: "Previous to the incident?"
PUTNEY: "Yes."
REPORTER: "Was it lawful for him to possess that weapon? Or you say during the incident it became unlawful?"
PUTNEY: "Okay. Here’s what I’ll tell you. And, again, I’m not trying to — I’m trying to be transparent. The reason for the encounter is because laws were broken. And the possession of a weapon with that law violation caused the officers to escalate their attention on to him. They were specifically looking for somebody wanted. That’s why they were there. And to be quite honest with you, what I’m going to tell you is, there is marijuana there that they weren’t focused on and they saw him with it. Until a gun was produced. And you’ll see all of that. I don’t want to get into — I want you to read it for yourself so you can see specifically why I say the facts are the facts and they will not change."