WUNC: “As the anniversary of Andrew Brown Jr.’s death in Elizabeth City nears, many who called for justice say that until now, they have seen little in the way of transparency or reform. But two lawsuits moving through the courts and a federal investigation might yet offer them hope.
Pasquotank County sheriff’s deputies killed the 42-year-old Black man while attempting to carry out drug-related search and arrest warrants against him on April 21, 2021. It quickly became one of the highest-profile police shootings in North Carolina, and received national attention.
Activists demanded justice. They wanted the deputies, who fired a collective 14 shots at Brown’s vehicle, to be held accountable.
One month after the shooting, District Attorney Andrew Womble announced he would not press charges against any of the deputies involved in the shooting. He said the officers acted properly because they reasonably feared for their safety. He said Brown used his vehicle, “as a deadly weapon,” and that therefore the shooting was “justified.”
After that, news coverage from major national outlets largely faded. But the decision to not press charges against the deputies closed only one chapter, not the book.
Brown’s family has filed a civil lawsuit against the sheriff and deputies seeking $30 million in compensation, and has kept mostly out of the press. A federal civil rights investigation is ongoing, and a media coalition is seeking the full release of body camera footage, which could shed more light on the events from that morning.”