After a second night of violent demonstrations here that left one man clinging to life and several businesses damaged, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory declared a state of emergency just before midnight Wednesday and sent the National Guard and state troopers to assist local police.
A march of a few hundred people turned chaotic after dusk, after protesters attempted to follow police in riot gear into the lobby of an uptown hotel. Officers used tear gas, and then a reporter heard a gunshot and saw a man lying in the street near the hotel entrance.
The man, who was not identified, was taken to a hospital with injuries that medics said were "life-threatening." Officials announced on Twitter that the man had died, then later tweeted that he was on "life support." No other information was given.
In the aftermath of the death Tuesday afternoon of Keith Lamont Scott, anger in the streets turned to looting, arson and other property damage in the swanky downtown, and North Carolina's largest city joined the list of communities across the country that have erupted amid a growing debate on racial bias in policing.