State of Emergency Declared in Charlotte

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory declared a state of emergency Wednesday night in Charlotte after a second night of protests over the police shooting of a black man turned violent and the city's police chief said he needed the help. A peaceful prayer vigil turned into an angry march and then a night of violence after a man was shot and critically wounded as groups of protesters rampaged through parts of downtown and charged police in riot gear trying to protect an upscale hotel, the AP reports. Police say they did not shoot the man. "My heart bleeds for what our great city is going through," said McCrory, who was mayor of Charlotte for 14 years before becoming governor.

The violence happened amid questions about what happened Tuesday afternoon when 43-year-old Keith Scott was shot and killed in the parking lot of his condo complex. Police said Scott had a gun and refused orders to drop it. Scott's family and neighbors said he was holding a book. "He got out of his car, he walked back to comply, and all his compliance did was get him murdered," said Taheshia Williams, whose balcony overlooks the shady parking spot where Scott was Tuesday afternoon. She says he often waited there for his son because a bicycle accident several years ago left him susceptible to seizures if he stayed out in the hot sun too long. (More Charlotte stories.)