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The family of Andrew Brown Jr. — a Black man who was fatally shot by Elizabeth City, North Carolina police officers — was finally able to view 20 seconds of police bodycam footage on April 26, 2021. The 42-year-old was shot by Pasquotank County sheriff’s deputies the Wednesday prior to the footage released.
On April 21, officers attempted to execute an arrest warrant for Brown. Not much information has been released about the situation. In an audio recording from the dispatch, first responders are heard saying there was a man with gunshot wounds to the back.
According to CNN, Brown’s death certificate says he died from a “penetrating gunshot wound” to the head. Within “minutes” of being shot; Brown died from his wound. The certificate further states that his death was ruled a homicide by being “shot by others.”
People have been peacefully protesting throughout the city; calling for the release of the bodycam footage. The family was supposed to see the video — privately — earlier in the day. However, officials took several hours to redact parts of the footage before releasing the video.
Attorney for the Brown family — Harry Daniels — asked for the officers to release the video. “If you ain’t got nothing to hide, show the tape.”
Michael Cox — Pasquotank County Attorney — said they had to blur some of the faces before they released the footage. “This may be done when necessary to protect an active internal investigation. As soon as these redactions are complete, we will allow the family to view this footage.”
Police-involved shootings and deaths have been on the rise since the COVID-19 pandemic started. There have been many protests — not all peaceful — all around the United States. Brown was fatally shot just one day after Derek Chauvin — former Minneapolis Police officer — was found guilty in the death of George Floyd.
Before the bodycam footage was released to Brown’s family — Elizabeth City declared a state of emergency. In fear of civil unrest that may arise due to the footage.
Written by Sheena Robertson
Source:
CNN: Family of Andrew Brown Jr. views video of fatal police shooting in North Carolina; by Natasha Chen, Gregory Lemos, and Eric Levenson
Featured and Top Image by L.J. Weslowski/City of Concord Courtesy of City of Concord NC’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License