CHARLOTTE -- Protests erupted after a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer shot and killed Keith Scott on a Tuesday afternoon in September. The heated aftermath was broadcast live on social media by Scott's daughter and others who witnessed the shooting, as conflicting reports about what happened fuled the anger and frustration.
The protests quickly turned violent that night. People threw rocks and bottles, damaged police cars, and even set things on fire on I-85.
"We saw the crowd transition from protesters, demonstrators - which is legal - to more aggressive agitators who began to break the law," said CMPD Chief Kerr Putney in a news conference the following day.
City leaders called for peace, but a second night of riots broke out - this time in uptown Charlotte. Windows were smashed, stores looted, and a protester was shot and killed by another man.
"And everyone kind of froze, then is was chaos," said Ryan James, who witnessed that shooting. "I turned and looked and saw the gunman with the gun still aimed, turn and walk away."
That night of violence left a family in mourning and a city reeling. But after the chaos, the community came together to clean up and rebuild.
"So I'm just out here, anybody needing my any help, got my trash bag with me, got my gloves, so I'm just supporting my city," said Thomas Diggs, who aided in efforts to sweep the broken glass from the sidewalks and patch up broken windows.
The city braced for more protests and declared a state of emergency.
"And now we have resources to better protect the infrastructure so that we can be a lot more proactive in going after the criminal behavior," said Chief Putney, in another city news conference.
Help from the National Guard and State Highway Patrol kept things relatively peaceful in Uptown Charlotte, as protesters continued to march for several days and nights, demanding police release all the video from the shooting.
"Since we're only getting bits and pieces, that only leads you to some suspicion that there's a cover-up," said Robin Bradford with the Charlotte chapter of the National Action Network, when she was marching at the Carolina Panthers game Sunday after the shooting.
As hundreds continued to make their voices heard, people across the nation - and police officers - were listening.
"Sometimes you gotta give people the opportunity to vent that anger," said CMPD Officer Tim Purdy.
Protesters again took to the streets more than a month after the shooting when they learned no one would be charged for Scott's death. This time, police officers were there on communication duty, part of a new team created after the September riots.
"It's just looking for common ground, trying to find that common ground," said CMPD Lt. Zeru Chickoree.
It's all part of an ongoing effort to bring people in Charlotte together, after nights it seemed the city had been torn apart.