Lawyer says new bodycam video proves Andrew Brown Jr.'s death was "cold-blooded killing"
The family of a Black man shot and killed by sheriff's deputies in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, said new body camera video proves his death was not justified.
On Tuesday, Andrew Brown Jr.'s family and their representatives were allowed to watch more than 18 minutes of the nearly two hours of police body camera video that was recorded before and after Brown was killed.
The footage was edited from the body cams of four deputies and a police car's dashcam. Brown's sons said the video they watched convinces them that their father's death was not justified.
"My father did not deserve to die at all. He did not deserve to be killed in any way, shape, or form. He did not pose any threat at all," Gerard Ferebee said.
The 42-year-old Brown was killed on April 21 as Pasquotank County sheriff's deputies descended on his home to serve a warrant on felony drug charges.
"You should be outraged that in 2021 that a man could be killed gunned down from a firing squad," said Harry Daniels, who represents the Brown family.
A prosecutor said the deputies opened fire after Brown's car made contact with one of the officers. Hance Lynch, an attorney for the Brown's family who saw the videos with the family, said that's not what they saw.
"I think the elected did what he wanted to do, he wanted to cause pause and plant a seed," he said.
His death caused national outrage and growing calls for police to release the full unedited footage. Unlike other states, North Carolina requires a judge to sign off on the public release of police videos. A judge ruled against it and said the video must remain out of public view for at least 30 days while police conduct an investigation.
"We are calling for an arrest immediately of these officers. You don't need an investigation when you have a cold-blooded killing. Investigate what," Daniels said.
The protests demanding the full release of the videos continue as the family and their attorneys call Brown's shooting an "execution." They want the district attorney to recuse himself from the case, citing his close working relationship with the Pasquotank sheriff's office. But the district attorney has declined to do so, saying, "I stand ready, willing, and able to fulfill my statutory obligations."
The Brown family, along with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, are calling for a special prosecutor to investigate this case.
for more features.
