– AP, USA TODAY
A black man named Andrew Brown has been shot dead by police in North Carolina, USA.
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| [Elizabeth City, North Carolina/Google Map] |
Authorities say a North Carolina deputy shot and killed a Black man while serving a search warrant on Wednesday, sparking a community uproar demanding transparency and the immediate release of body camera video.
New information revealed that more than one police officers shot Andrew Brown Jr.
Authorities refused to provide information about the incident, but an eyewitness said Andrew Brown Jr. was shot several times by deputies while attempting to flee. According to Demetria Williams, who lives on the same street as Brown, the car skidded out of his yard and crashed into a tree.
Williams said she rushed outside after hearing one gunshot and saw more shots fired at the vehicle.
“He was already dead when they opened the door,” Williams told The Associated Press. “He was slouched over,” she said, adding that officers attempted chest compressions on him.
Multiple bullet holes and a cracked rear windshield were visible on a car authorities removed from the scene.
Sheriff Tommy Wooten II said at a press conference that the Pasquotank County Sheriff's deputy had been placed on leave pending an investigation by the State Bureau of Investigation. Brown was 42 years old, according to court records, and had a history of drug violations and a minor drug possession conviction.
Hundreds of people gathered at the shooting site in Elizabeth City, a town of about 18,000 people about 170 miles (274 kilometers) northeast of Raleigh, to share their outrage and rally around Brown's family members. Later in the evening, a massive crowd protested outside City Hall while the City Council held an emergency meeting, some bearing signs proclaiming "Black Lives Matter" and "Stop shooting unarmed Black Men." As the evening progressed, a group gathered in the parking lot of the sheriff's office, and a crowd of more than 200 blocked traffic on a major thoroughfare, causing cars to turn around.
“The cops didn't have to kill my baby,” said Brown's aunt Martha McCullen, who raised him after his parents died. McCullen stood on the stoop of Brown's rented house, tears in her eyes.
She said, "Andrew Brown was a good guy." “He was about to reclaim his children. He was an excellent father. His children will never see him again.”
According to Wooten, the deputy fired Brown around 8:30 a.m. The deputy was wearing an activated body camera at the time of the shooting, according to the sheriff, who refused to name the officer or say how many shots he fired due to a State Bureau of Investigation investigation. Wooten also refused to reveal the purpose of the warrant.
Brown, who was identified by neighbors as "Drew," was not a violent person, according to Williams, an eyewitness who was also among those protesting outside City Hall on Wednesday evening.
“I didn't think they did it because he wasn't a threat to them,” she said. Even though he was attempting to flee, he was driving away,” Williams said.
“Only God knows what transpired. “Only God knows who did it,” according to WAVY-TV.
The town of Elizabeth City is near the mouth of the Pasquotank River, which empties into the Albemarle Sound. It is home to a U.S. military base. Many positions are supported by a Coast Guard air station, Elizabeth City State University, and a medical center. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city's population is more than 50% Black and about 40% white. Bureau of the Census Poverty affects about a quarter of the population.