In the moments following the shooting of Andrew Brown Jr., first responders can be heard on dispatch audio saying a man has been hit and has gunshot wounds to the back.
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Pasquotank County’s District Attorney Andrew Womble announced at a press conference Tuesday that he will not charge the three sheriff’s deputies involved in killing Andrew Brown Jr. in Elizabeth City on April 21. Pasquotank County Sheriff Tommy Wooten announced later that the three deputies, though keeping their positions, will be disciplined and retrained.
Womble said he came to his conclusion after reviewing evidence turned over by the State Bureau of Investigation. An SBI press release indicates that the agency provided crime scene analysis and interviews of witnesses to the prosecutor, who has the authority to press charges.
Deputies in the Pasquotank County sheriff’s office arrived at Brown’s residence to serve two felony arrest warrants and a search warrant on the morning of April 21. Womble said deputies blocked Brown’s parked car next to his house to prevent Brown, seated in his vehicle, from driving forward.
Pasquotank County District Attorney R. Andrew Womble announced on Tuesday that the deputies who fatally shot a Black man fleeing an arrest in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, last month were justified in their actions.
“While tragic, the shooting of Mr. Brown 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 said.
Anthony Brown Jr., 42, was fatally shot on April 21 as deputies served a drug-related warrant for his arrest. His death came just a day after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murdering George Floyd, and was followed by calls for footage of the shooting to be made public.