Sheriff Lombardo on unrest in Charlotte last week, where he attended a leadership seminar

Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Joe Lombardo boarded a plane for Charlotte, North Carolina last week for a law enforcement leadership seminar planned months ago, but in the hours after he landed, the city ignited in protests, rioting and tear gas after the fatal police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott, 43.

“It was just by coincidence,” the sheriff said of the timing Wednesday, after returning from the conference.

Top cops from around the country went to the training, hosted by the Major Cities Chiefs Association. And while Charlotte police were scheduled to participate, Lombardo said many officers couldn’t because they were trying to quell the unrest, which involved items being hurled at police, store windows being smashed and a protester being fatally shot.

“Shortly after I arrived, about 5:30 or 6 p.m. (last Wednesday), I started to see protesters, demonstrators. Probably 100 folks,” he said of the view from his hotel. “They were peaceful, they were chanting.”

“After it got dark, it seemed like other individuals — perpetual agitators — showed up, and it became hostile at that point,” Lombardo said.

Though Lombardo didn’t plan to be in Charlotte in the middle of unrest, he said the experience was “good” because everyone had “the opportunity to talk about what was going on.”

With Chief Kerr Putney in Charlotte talking about critical response. pic.twitter.com/Cqi7IuX1jw

— Joseph Lombardo (@Sheriff_LVMPD) September 23, 2016

One of the main points of conversation among top cops was the release of any and all police videos of the Scott shooting. “Obviously, the question was whether or not they release the video, how best to do things and address those types of issues,” Lombardo said.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney had originally told reporters that videos of the shooting would be made public if there was a “compelling reason” to do so, but added, “You shouldn’t expect it to be released.”

Both dashboard camera footage and body-worn camera footage was ultimately released Saturday, though it wasn’t clear in the footage if Scott was armed. Charlotte police have also released photos of a gun they said they found at the scene, andPutney has said the Scott shooting appeared justified.

Lombardo did not comment on the shooting itself, but said Metro has a policy in place directing that, after an officer-involved shooting, police quickly release any and all video of the incident. That policy came after a Review-Journal investigation on Metro’s use of deadly force.

“Look what happened in Tulsa,” The sheriff said. “They determined the individual (Terence Crutcher) wasn’t armed, and there was no rioting in Tulsa. Information that was relevant was released quickly.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact Rachel Crosby at rcrosby@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290. Find @rachelacrosby on Twitter.