Protests in North Carolina

Demonstrators gathered near an apartment complex in Charlotte, where the victim, Keith Lamont Scott, was shot by an officer on Tuesday. Local television channels showed people carrying signs saying "Black Lives Matter" and chanting "No justice, no peace!"

Reports said the crowd became angry, attacking police officers and damaging police cars. Police wearing riot gear used tear gas to subdue the mob. "Approximately 12 officers injured. One officer hit in face with a rock," the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said, adding that the officers were "injured tonight working to protect our community during demonstration."

Some civilians were also reportedly injured, but no number was specified.

Protesters blocked the Interstate 85 highway on Wednesday morning, and a local station affiliated with ABC reported that police used flash grenades in an attempt to disperse the crowd.

Keith Lamont Scott, 43, was shot on Tuesday afternoon by officer Brentley Vinson; both Scott and Vinson are black. Vinson was searching for a suspect with an outstanding arrest warrant when he and his colleagues spotted Scott - who was not the person they were looking for - in a car parked near the building. According to police, Scott was carrying a firearm, which is not illegal under local laws.

A confrontation ensued where police, who said they felt threatened by Scott, opened fire. He was taken to Charlotte's Carolina Medical Center and pronounced dead, the Associated Press reported. Scott's relatives said the man was not carrying a gun but was instead holding a book in his hands when he was shot at.

Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts told CNN that the officer, Brentley Vinson, had been put on paid leave.

The case is the latest in a series of incidents across the United States where officers killed African-American suspects. Earlier this week, police in Tulsa, Oklahoma, shot dead an unarmed 40-year-old man, Terence Crutcher, sparking protests.

mg/msh (AFP, AP)