Forensics expert: Gunshot to head killed Charlotte protester

CHARLOTTE, NC (AP) – An independent forensic expert says a Charlotte man fatally shot amid violent protests over the earlier police shooting death of a black man died from a gunshot to the head, not a rubber bullet fired for crowd control.

The Charlotte Observer reported that former Georgia State Crime Lab forensics specialist Jay Jarvis said Friday the head wound to 26-year-old Justin Carr had the hallmarks of a gunshot. Jarvis says the bullet passed through Carr’s skull in two places, something unlikely for a rubber projectile.

Carr was fatally shot during the Sept. 21 demonstrations over the police killing a day earlier of Keith Lamont Scott.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police charged Raquan Borum with first-degree murder in Carr’s death. Borum’s attorney says his client is innocent.

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