Andrew Brown shooting: officers will not face charges, says district attorney
A North Carolina district attorney on Tuesday said officers were justified in the fatal shooting of Andrew Brown Jr, a Black man, in April, and that the sheriff’s deputies who fired will not face charges for killing the 42-year-old father of seven.
Andrew Womble said Brown’s death “while tragic, was justified” because three deputies “reasonably” believed deadly force was necessary to protect themselves and others while serving a warrant for Brown’s arrest on felony drug charges.
The prosecutor said deputies in full tactical gear blocked Brown in the driveway outside his Elizabeth City home to serve the warrant on 21 April. Brown ignored orders to get out of the car and struck a deputy twice while trying to escape, Womble said.
Womble described the encounter, from the time police left their vehicles to when they removed Brown from his car after shooting him, as lasting 44 seconds.
Brown’s death certificate said he died as the result of a gunshot wound to the head. Brown’s family commissioned an independent autopsy which specified that he was shot five times, once to the back of his head.
Womble said he would not release body-camera video of the confrontation, for which Brown’s family and supporters have repeatedly called to ensure integrity in the investigation of his death.
In the press conference, which was broadcast on major US national news outlets, officials shared portions of the footage.
Brown’s family and lawyers had previously seen a 20-second clip of bodycamera footage and said it showed officers firing at Brown’s car as he drove away.
Under North Carolina law, law enforcement can set up a viewing of footage for specific individuals but a court order is required to release a copy of the recording. Superior court judge Jeffrey Foster denied a petition by several media outlets to release the footage earlier this month. The decision could be reconsidered after the state’s investigation is complete.
Protests demanding greater accountability in the criminal justice system followed the shooting and in the wake of Tuesday’s announcement people again called for the full video footage to be released.
Three deputies who fired their weapons during the incident remain on leave: investigator Daniel Meads, deputy Robert Morgan and corporal Aaron Lewellyn. The sheriff’s office said Morgan is Black. Meads and Lewellyn are white.
Four others involved in the incident have returned to active duty. Womble said he would not be filing criminal charges against any of the deputies.
The FBI has launched a civil rights investigation of the shooting.
Family and friends told reporters Brown had an easy smile, was quick to crack a joke and was determined to give his children a better life than he had.
His cousin, Jadine Hampton, told the AP last month: “Everybody would just wait to hear him tell a story because it would be like a comedian telling the play-by-play about something that happened.”