A protest in Elizabeth City demands justice for the death of Andrew Brown.
Foto:
Sean Rayford / Getty Images
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Neighbors, lawyers and the family of an African American man shot to death by an officer who executed arrest and search warrants in North Carolina earlier this week are calling for the release of body camera images capturing the incident. , reported ABC News.
Andrew Brown Jr., 42, was killed when sheriffs from the Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office attempted to serve the arrest warrants at his home in Elizabeth City on Wednesday morning.
Authorities have not released the details that led to the shooting.
Officers were serving arrest warrants related to felony drug charges when the marshals shot Brown and caused his deaththe Sheriff’s office said.
This is Andrew Brown Jr — a 42yo Black father of SEVEN. He was gunned down by police in North Carolina as he was allegedly driving away from them, posing no danger to officers. pic.twitter.com/TtUAqW5hFd
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) April 24, 2021
The sheriff was wearing an active body camera during the shooting, authorities said, which could provide some answers about what happened.
The community has demanded that the sheriff’s office and district attorney release the images, though that can only be done by order of a judge, according to the Pasquotank County Sheriff, Tommy Wooten.
During an emergency meeting Friday, Elizabeth City Council members agreed to file a warrant if the sheriff’s office denies their request to release the body camera images.
A letter requesting that the images be released to the public will be delivered to the sheriff’s office on Monday, according to the Elizabeth city manager, Shown Freeman. The Sheriff has three days to respond, after that term expires the city will be able to request the court to order the publication of the videos, he said.
Governor Roy Cooper It has also called for the images to be published “as quickly as possible.” Protests in the days after the shooting also demanded the release of the images.
Initial reports of the shooting in Elizabeth City and death of Andrew Brown, Jr. this week are tragic and extremely concerning. The body camera footage should be made public as quickly as possible and the SBI should investigate thoroughly to ensure accountability.
— Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) April 23, 2021
Community leaders asked that at least Brown’s family watch the tapes right now.
“They can handle the truth, but they can’t handle the silence,” said the Reverend William Barber, former director of the North Carolina NAACP.
In the wake of the shooting, seven unidentified sheriffs were placed on paid administrative leave on Friday. Pasquotank County Manager, Sparty Hammett, confirmed the personnel changes to ABC News.
It’s unclear if the seven MPs include the one who fatally shot Brown. The anonymous officer was placed on administrative leave after the shooting pending a review by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, according to Wooten.
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