Bodycam video of the police-involved shooting of Andrew Brown in Elizabeth City, North Carolina has finally been released. The judge initially blocked the footage from being released in order to prevent a potential jury pool from being tainted. However, the Pasquotank County District Attorney removed any possibility of there being a jury due to announcing there would be no charges for the officers. The D.A., Andrew Womble., said that the actions Andrew Brown took with his vehicle caused three deputies to “reasonably believe it was necessary to use deadly force to protect themselves and others.”
Andrew Brown had been on the radar of local police for quite a while. He apparently had been involved with the drug trade. Police arrived at Brown’s location prepared to serve a drug warrant… but also prepared to fight if that was necessary. It is not known if Andrew Brown was known to be violent, but police were prepared in case the warrant serving process did not go well. Bodycam footage shows Mr. Brown inside of his sedan vehicle first backing up alongside a dwelling. When he is stationary inside the car, police have their guns drawn as they order him to get out. He refuses to get out and, instead, accelerates the vehicle forward, through the officers. The officers fire their weapons and Andrew Brown is killed.
The story will most likely fade away now that the bodycam footage has been released. Black Lives Matter affiliated groups and the likes of Ben Crump don’t have much leverage to stick around town anymore. Elizabeth City, North Carolina is a small, majority-black town of about 18,000 people. Unjustified police-involved shootings do not happen often there and the case of Andrew Brown simply solidifies that fact.
SOURCES:
Andrew Brown shooting: officers will not face charges, says district attorney | Andrew Brown shooting | The Guardian
N.C. Prosecutor Finds Deputies’ Shooting Of Andrew Brown Jr. Justified : NPR
Attorneys ask Elizabeth City DA to recuse himself from investigation into Andrew Brown Jr. killing | WAVY.com
Andrew Brown: Man Shot by Deputy in Elizabeth City Named | Heavy.com
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