ELIZABETH CITY, NC (AP) – A North Carolina lawmaker shot dead a black man while executing a search warrant Wednesday, authorities said, prompting a clamor from a crowd of dozens who gathered immediately on the spot and demanded accountability from law enforcement.
Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Deputy was on leave pending a review by the State Bureau of Investigation, Sheriff Tommy Wooten II told a news conference. He said the deputy shot Andrew Brown Jr. about 8:30 a.m. while serving orders in Elizabeth City, a town of about 18,000 people, 274 miles northeast of Raleigh. Local NAACP leader Keith Rivers said Brown was black.
Wooten did not identify the deputy and did not say what the order was for. Judicial records show that Brown was 42 years old and had a history of drug charges and a conviction for drug possession for misdemeanor.
The deputy was wearing an active body camera at the time of the shooting, said Wooten, who declined to say how many shots the deputy made or disclosed any other details, citing a pending review by the U.S. Bureau of Investigation. ‘State. WAVY-TV reported that neighbors heard several gunshots. A car removed from the scene appeared to have several bullet holes and a broken rear windshield.
Among the approximately 100 people who gathered at the scene of the shooting was Rivers, chairman of the NAACP’s Pasquotank County chapter, who criticized the sheriff’s office for taking hours to divulge details.
“When will it stop? We just got a verdict yesterday, ”Rivers said in a telephone interview, referring to the guilty verdicts handed down Tuesday in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on the death of George Floyd. “Is it open season now? At some point, it has to stop. We have to start holding those responsible accountable. ”
Brown’s grandmother, Lydia Brown, and her aunt, Clarissa Brown Gibson, told The Associated Press that they learned of her death through a television report. Both said they want to thoroughly investigate the shooting.
“I am very upset. Andrew was a good person, “Lydia Brown said. The deputy” didn’t have to shoot him like that. “
Clarissa Brown Gibson said, “We want to know if he received an order, why did he fire an order?”
At an emergency City Council meeting, Councilman Gabriel Adkins told colleagues his businesses in the shooting neighborhood had begun going up the windows in anticipation of violence.
“I’m scared of black,” said an excited Adkins, when a crowd of more than 100 people gathered in front of the meeting, which is closed to the public due to the coronavirus pandemic. He later added: “It hurts to be a black man right now. … We are doing wrong ”.
Councilman Darius Horton called for the immediate release of body camera images, the search warrant and a quick explanation of what led to the shooting.
“We need transparency. And not only do we need transparency, but we need accountability, “he said.” We need answers. … We don’t hide behind anything. “
The State Bureau of Investigation will forward the findings of its review to District Attorney Andrew Womble, who promised a thorough and deliberate investigation.
“What we are looking for right now will be accurate answers and not quick answers,” Womble told the news conference. “We will wait for the full and complete investigation … and we will review it and make the determinations we deem appropriate at that time. This will not be a rush to trial.”
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This story has been edited to remove an incorrect reference to how George Floyd died.
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Lavoie reported from Richmond, Virginia.