New violence breaks out in southern US city of Charlotte

[CHARLOTTE, North Carolina] Violence broke out in Charlotte, North Carolina for a second night on Wednesday as police confronted a repeat of clashes ignited by the fatal police shooting of a black man.

Riot police with helmets, batons and body armour clashed with protesters and fired tear gas as several hundred people taunted them in front of a hotel in the city centre, according to AFP journalists at the scene.

A man fell to the ground during the confrontations, leaving blood on the sidewalk.

Witnesses said police brought him into the hotel.

Some protesters banged on glass windows, others threw objects at police and stood on cars as police fired tear gas, sending demonstrators scattering.

Violence broke out Tuesday night after police shot to death Keith Lamont Scott, 43, in an apartment complex parking lot earlier in the day.

It was the latest in a series of fatal police shootings of black men that have left the African American community demanding law enforcement reforms and greater accountability.

Earlier on Wednesday evening, several hundred angry protesters, mostly African American, marched to the Charlotte police headquarters.

Some chanted "No Justice! No Peace!" while others banged on the door.

A young boy held a sign saying "My life matters". Mike Smith, 27, a marketing manager in Charlotte, said tension has been building among the local black community.

"These tensions, they popped yesterday and this is the outcome," he said.

AFP