The fatal police shooting of Andrew Brown Jr. by North Carolina deputies was “justified” because he posed “an immediate threat to others,” prosecutors said Tuesday, as new police body camera footage showing the deadly encounter was released.
“This case clearly illustrates the officers who used deadly force on Andrew Brown Jr. did so reasonably, and only when a violent felon, used a deadly weapon to place their lives in danger,” District Attorney R. Andrew Womble said at a press conference.
Womble, the DA for North Carolina’s First Judicial District, said no officer will be criminally charged in the April 21 shooting.
“The shooting of Brown was justified to prevent potential harm to those living near where the incident occurred, as well as pedestrians, support deputies and the deputies who were in front of Mr. Brown,” Womble added.
Browns’ family accused the DA of trying to “whitewash this unjustified killing.”
“To say this shooting was justified, despite the known facts, is both an insult and a slap in the face to Andrew’s family, the Elizabeth City community, and to rational people everywhere,” according to a statement released by the family’s attorneys.
Four new body-camera clips were released Tuesday showing the 44-second fatal police encounter with the 42-year-old for the first time.
The videos show armed deputies speeding to the Elizabeth City home to execute a search warrant and arrest Brown — a known drug dealer who had a more than 180-page rap sheet.
The seven deputies rush to surround Brown’s BMW after a police cruiser blocks the driveway, the videos show.
Brown then backs up in his car, pulling a deputy off his feet, as deputies yell, “Stop the f–king car!”
One of the deputies can be seen moving in front of Brown’s car before he slowly accelerates to flee across the grass, causing the deputy to step out of the way.
Officers continue to scream at Brown to “stop,” as a sergeant squeezes off a single shot into the front window.
The other deputies fired off 13 rounds as the car drove away. One of the rounds ricocheted into a nearby house.
Brown’s BMW eventually came to rest against a tree after crossing a vacant lot.
Womble said he believed Brown’s use of the car while trying to get away from police, striking one officer, created “an immediate threat to others.” He said the speed of Brown’s car was irrelevant.
“If there were no deputies in his path, I could have looked at this differently,” said Womble.
Brown’s family has called the shooting an “execution.”
The DA’s Office only released a portion of the videos from the encounter and put the onus on the courts to make the remaining recordings public. Another body camera recording was played at the press conference but it only showed the aftermath.
Brown was shot twice, one in the right arm and the second in the back of the head, according to Womble.
An autopsy showed the second shot proved fatal, striking him in the base of the skull, Womble said.
Crystal meth was found in Brown’s mouth, according to the autopsy.
The father of seven had multiple convictions for felony drug-related offenses, including for possession and selling, the Daily Advance in Elizabeth City reported last month.
His criminal record also included misdemeanor charges for possession of stolen goods, speeding to elude arrest and driving on a revoked license, the report said.
Brown’s family called for the full release of the footage and requested the federal Department of Justice to intervene.
Womble defended the deputies’ actions, saying the officers should not have retreated and state case law allowed for cops to continue firing as the car pulled away.
The current status of the seven deputies who were placed on administrative leave was not immediately known.
