Raleigh police drop charge against protester, to investigate officers' actions

No charges were filed against a juvenile, Deck-Brown said, and a charge of resisting, delaying or obstructing a law enforcement officer was dismissed against a woman arrested at the protest.

Deck-Brown said police have tried to assist with peaceful protests by blocking traffic so people could march through intersections unscathed. But she said protesters on Thursday night started running into traffic and creating hazards.

"In the past three days, we've had two incidents in our city that resulted in fatalities. We clearly don't want to see this happen to our protesters," she said.

Initially, a juvenile was reported to have assaulted an officer during the incident. Deck-Brown said she reviewed video from officers' body-worn cameras and videos posted on social media and determined no charges were warranted.

"I am concerned by the actions of some of our officers," she said.

She declined to say how many officers are under investigation or whether they remain on patrol.

"Defunding the police department does not diminish the responsibilities and the expectations that the rest of this community has as it relates to public safety," Deck-Brown said Friday. "When you thin those resources, you see worse policing."