Charlotte protests: Former US soldier delivers powerful message to police

'We don’t even have those rules over in Afghanistan and we’re at war,' says Sage Lawson

Sage Lawson was interviewed during the second night of protests in Charlotte, North Carolina (AJ+ / Screengrab)

A soldier has delivered a powerful message to US police at the second night of protests in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Demonstrators are calling for justice following the killing of Keith Lamont Scott by police. One man has been shot during the protest and is in a critical condition.

Sage Lawson told AJ+ he was “protesting injustice” after hearing news of multiple “unarmed shootings” by the police after he left the military a year ago.

“I’m out here protesting injustice. I’m from the military," said Mr Lawson in a video shared on Twitter more than 1,500 times.

"This is my one-year anniversary of being a civilian. And since I’ve gotten out the only thing I’ve heard is unarmed shootings,”

A state of emergency has been called by North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory, who said he would deploy the National Guard and State Troopers to assist police – who maintained a heavy presence throughout the night – in controlling the protests.

Mr Lawson challenged police protocol following a week in which three black men, including Mr Scott, were killed by police.

“Now my biggest question to them is: ‘What is y’alls protocol? What makes you shoot a man who does not have a weapon in [his] hand?’ We don’t even have those rules over in Afghanistan and we’re at war,” he said.

“That makes so sense to me. Sot that’s why I’m out here protesting.”

Police have rejected a claim by Mr Scott’s family that the father of seven was unarmed and sitting reading a book.

The first night of peaceful protests turned violent on Tuesday after 43-year-old Mr Scott was shot in Charlotte that afternoon.

“He didn’t have a gun,” a woman identifying herself as his sister told local television. “He wasn’t messing with nobody.”

Amid calls for dialogue coming from the city’s mayor, police on Wednesday insisted that Mr Scott was carrying a handgun and had represented a threat to the officer who approached him.

During the second night of protests, City of Charlotte officials said there had been a shooting, believed to be “civilian on civilian,” and police fired no shots.

The victim is currently in critical condition and on life support. The officials previously tweeted that the shooting was fatal.