NC governor calls for release of bodycam video in Andrew Brown killing
Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper also calls on the state to investigate law enforcement's handling of the case
Many people are demanding answers in the aftermath of the police killing death of Andrew Brown Jr. in North Carolina Wednesday.
Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper has took a step to help answer requests for transparency, calling for body camera footage to be made public.
Brown, 42, was shot and killed in Elizabeth City, a city in northeast North Carolina, by a Pasquotank County Sheriff’s deputy on Wednesday, as previously reported by theGrio. According to eyewitnesses, deputies fired on Brown as he was driving away in his vehicle. However, little detail of the encounter that led to Brown’s death has been disclosed by law enforcement officials.
READ MORE: Virginia man shot by deputy, in in ICU after calling 911 for help
A car was removed from the scene by authorities and it was reported to be hit with several bullet holes.
Cooper tweeted his concerns about Brown’s death on Friday, expressing that he wants North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) to get involved.
“Initial reports of the shooting in Elizabeth City and death of Andrew Brown Jr. this week are tragic and extremely concerning,” Cooper posted. “The body camera footage should be made public as quickly as possible and the SBI should investigate thoroughly to ensure accountability.”
The Elizabeth City Council in a 5-0 vote also filed an official request for the footage to be released.
As reported by WVEC, North Carolina law stipulates that a court order be made for police body camera footage to be released.
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“We’re going into 72 hours of this thing, and still there’s no answers,” Councilman Gabriel Adkins told The News & Observer. “Each day that goes by, there’s more pain and more anger.”
Tommy S. Wooten, the Sheriff of Pasquotank County, did hold an initial press conference following the shooting and did state that a deputy was put on leave following the shooting. According to The News & Observer, seven more deputies were put on administrative leave. Wooten also stated that he would like to see an outside agency launch a probe into the department’s actions to hold those who may have broken the law accountable.
Another three deputies have resigned, according to a statement from Heather Carawan of the Pasquotank County Sheriff’s office. However, as reported by WVEC, Carawan stated that the three resignations were not related to the Brown shooting. Pasquotank County employs 55 total sheriff’s deputies.
According to the New York Times, the deputies were executing a search warrant, along with local SWAT team, at the time Brown was shot. Chief Deputy Daniel Fogg stated that Brown was “a convicted felon with a history of resisting arrest” and that the deputies’ training and policies “indicate under such circumstances there is a high risk of danger.”
TheGrio reported that Brown had a history of drug charges and was convicted on misdemeanor drug possession.
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