Kate Medley/Kate Medley /
Updated at 7:45 p.m.
In a press conference Tuesday morning, District Attorney Andrew Womble announced he has reviewed the probe by the State Bureau of Investigation and determined that the killing of Andrew Brown Jr. by Pasquotank County Deputies was justified. His office will not pursue criminal charges against the officers involved, he said.
Deputies shot and killed Brown the morning of April 21 as they were carrying out drug-related search and arrest warrants.
Womble played footage from four body cameras to reporters present, and multiple news outlets live-streamed the footage. In describing the videos, Womble said Brown used his car “as a deadly weapon” in his interaction with law enforcement officers both in backing up and in driving away from his residence and toward the street.
18 May 2021
District Attorney Andrew Womble announced Tuesday the deputies who shot and killed Andrew Brown Jr. in April in North Carolina were justified in their actions and will not be criminally charged.
“Mr. Brown’s death, while tragic, was justified, because Mr. Brown’s actions caused three deputies with the Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office to reasonably believe it was necessary to use deadly force to protect themselves and others,” Womble stated.
He made the comments prior to showing body camera footage of the incident to the public for the first time, according to ABC 11.
“Brown’s family, who had already seen the video in question, previously said the video showed Brown, afraid for his life, backing away and then driving off in an attempt to escape being killed,” the outlet continued:
The Pasquotank County Branch of the NAACP has called for outside prosecution to step in and review the case. President Keith Rivers is among those who say they’re angry but not surprised by the DA's decision.
District Attorney Andrew Womble will hold a news conference Tuesday at 11 a.m. in Elizabeth City to give an update on the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation probe of the shooting death of Andrew Brown, Jr., by a Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office deputy.
Brown was killed outside his home on Perry Street on April 21 while deputies were serving a search warrant from Dare County.
Three of the seven deputies that were at the scene at the time of the incident remain on administrative leave. Pasquotank Sheriff Tommy Wooten said the three still off-duty fired their weapons.
A Pitt County judge has delayed public release of video of the shooting, while only a few members of Brown’s family and one of their attorneys have seen limited amounts of the footage.
Published May 19. 2021 12:05AM
Lateshia Beachum, The Washington Post
The sheriff s deputies who shot a 42-year-old Black man to death as he drove his vehicle last month in Elizabeth City, N.C., were justified in their actions because they had reason to believe they were in danger, Pasquotank County District Attorney Andrew Womble said during a news conference Tuesday.
Andrew Brown Jr. was fatally struck by gunshots on April 21 as he attempted to drive away from deputies who were executing a search warrant on felony drug charges at his home, The Washington Post reported. Womble, who previously said the shooting was justified, held the news conference to discuss details of the State Bureau of Investigation s findings.