The moment North Carolina police shot a black man was captured on video by his wife, who is heard pleading with officers: "Don't shoot him!"

In the footage, Rakeyia Scott tells husband Keith Scott to get out of his car as Charlotte police surround him.

The clip does not show the actual shooting, or make clear if Mr Scott was carrying a gun, as police say.

Charlotte city leaders have been under mounting pressure to release their footage of this week's shooting.

Mr. Scott was the 214th black person killed by US police this year out of a total of 821, according to Mapping Police Violence.

In the clip, an officer is heard shouting: "Hands up!"

Mrs. Scott cries: "Don't shoot him. Don't shoot him. He has no weapon.

"He has no weapon. Don't shoot him."

An officer says: "Don't shoot. Drop the gun. Drop the [expletive] gun."

Mrs Scott says: "He doesn't have a gun. He has a TBI [Traumatic Brain Injury]."

She adds: "He just took his medicine."

Seconds later shots ring out, and she rushes forward shouting: "Did you shoot him? He better not be [expletive] dead!"

Mr Scott, a 43-year-old father-of-seven - was fatally shot in an apartment complex car park on Tuesday by police who were searching for another person wanted for arrest.

There are conflicting accounts of his death - police say he was armed with a handgun; his family says he was holding a book.

Family lawyers have said Mr Scott was moving slowly as he got out of his vehicle because he suffered head trauma in a car accident last year.

The killing has sparked three nights of protests and led North Carolina's governor to declare a state of emergency in Charlotte.

At a press conference on Friday, officials defended their refusal to release body-cam and dash-cam video of the shooting.

Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts told a news conference on Friday: "I do believe the video should be released - the question is on the timing."

She said the video was "inconclusive" as to whether Mr. Scott was holding a gun.

City Police Chief Kerr Putney said the video alone does not provide sufficient evidence of probable cause for the shooting.

Releasing it without "context" could only inflame the situation, he added.

Police have already said a pistol was recovered at the scene.

Source:bbc.com