Shooting demonstrators remain peaceful today outside Charlotte Panthers NFL game

Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C.

Nightly protests have shaken the city of Charlotte since the shooting death of a black man by police last week, but Sunday's NFL game between the Carolina Panthers and the Minnesota Vikings managed to open without interruption.

A group of around 100 demonstrators gathered across the street from Bank of America Stadium to keep up the pressure in the aftermath of the death of Keith Lamont Scott. The 43-year-old man was shot and killed Tuesday after a confrontation with Charlotte police. Five nights of protests followed, two of them violent.

On Sunday, protesters led by a man with a bullhorn across the street from Bank of America Stadium were surrounded by at least two dozen police officers on bicycles. Their message competed with the noise of fans streaming toward the stadium and an impromptu jazz band playing tunes less than a block away.

When the national anthem was played, the protesters all dropped to one knee as many NFL players have been doing for weeks to call attention to issues, including police shootings. Inside the stadium, Carolina safety Marcus Ball raised his fist during the anthem.

Video footage released Saturday by police of the incident hasn't settled questions about whether Scott threatened authorities with a gun before he was felled by a black officer. Police Chief Kerr Putney said Saturday that Scott was "absolutely in possession of a handgun," adding that, while officers didn't break the law, the State Bureau of Investigation continues to pursue the case.