Pasquotank County District Attorney Andrew Womble held a press conference on Tuesday to announce that Andrew Brown, Jr.’s death during a confrontation with police on April 21 was justified and will not result in criminal charges for officers involved.
Local news network WAVY shared video footage of the press conference, in which Womble stated:
After reviewing the investigation conducted by the North Caroline State Bureau of Investigation, Mr. Brown’s death, while tragic, was justified because Mr. Brown’s actions caused three deputies with the Pasquotank Sheriff’s office to reasonably believe it was necessary to use deadly force to protect themselves and others.
Body camera footage shared during the press conference shows that Brown was in his vehicle when police arrived at his home to serve a warrant. When police approached Brown’s car, he reversed and drove across his yard. According to Womble, the deputies’ first shot entered Brown’s car through the front windshield as Brown intentionally tried to strike the deputies with his car. Body camera footage cannot corroborate Brown’s intention.
Brown continued driving away from his home, and deputies fired more shots, including five shots through his rear windshield. Brown was hit by bullets in his shoulder and in the back of his head. He then struck a tree and was pulled from his vehicle by deputies who began life-saving measures. The total confrontation lasted only 44 seconds.
On April 23, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper called initial reports of the shooting “extremely concerning” and called for body camera footage to “be made public as quickly as possible.” Although Womble shared some body camera footage on the incident during his press conference, he said he does not plan to release the full footage to the public.
In a statement, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) said it attempted “to conduct as thorough and complete an investigation as possible in a timely manner” but that it was Womble’s job “to apply the law to those facts to make the ultimate decision about whether criminal charges were appropriate.”
