Judge: Bodycam video of Andrew Brown shooting won’t immediately be released

A Pasquotank County judge decided Wednesday not to release the body cam videos of Andrew Brown’s shooting by deputies, but left the door open for the footage to be disclosed after the state’s investigation into the fatal incident.

Superior Court Judge Jeff Foster did, however, rule that Andrew Brown’s family and one North Carolina attorney could view four body cam videos within the next 10 days.

Brown, 42, was shot and killed April 21 by Pasquotank County sheriff’s deputies in Elizabeth City. Brown was trying to leave his home in a vehicle when deputies shot him five times, including once in the back of the head, according to Brown’s family’s attorneys.

The N.C. State Bureau of Investigation is leading the probe into Brown’s death. The FBI also has launched a federal civil rights investigation into the shooting.

Hundreds have protested daily since the shooting, many pushing for the footage to be released. Pasquotank County Sheriff

Tommy Wooten had petitioned for its release, which is what prompted today’s hearing, but District Attorney Andrew Womble opposed the move.

Judge Foster said doing so now could affect a future trial or jeopardize the safety of the deputies. He also ruled against a request from more than a dozen media outlets for an immediate public release of the footage, saying they did not have the standing to request it.

In the hearing, Womble provided a description of the shooting that stood in sharp contrast to how Brown’s family and attorneys had previously described the events.

He said the video footage showed Brown making physical contact with deputies with his car while backing up and driving forward, before being shot.

One of Brown’s family attorneys, Chantel Cherry-lassiter, after viewing a 20-second clip of body camera footage Monday, said Brown never posed a threat to deputies and was shot with his hands on the steering wheel.

After today’s hearing, she stood by her previous description, saying that she did not see Brown’s vehicle make contact with any deputies.

Travis Long/the News & Observer/tns Reporters and photographers gather outside the Pasquotank County Courthouse in Elizabeth City on Wednesday before a hearing on the release of Pasquotank County Sheriff’s deputies’ body camera video from the shooting death of Andrew Brown Jr.