Prosecutor justifies deputies’ call to shoot Andrew Brown Jr. [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• District Attorney Andrew Womble announced Tuesday that North Carolina sheriff’s deputies have done their job correctly for shooting Andrew Brown Jr.
• Womble argued that Brown ignored the deputies commands and even drove towards one of them.
• The FBI will launch a separate investigation on the case.

During a press conference Tuesday, District Attorney Andrew Womble said that it was the right call for North Carolina sheriff’s deputies to fire shots against Andrew Brown Jr. last month.

Per Womble, Brown Jr.’s behavior was enough for the officers to use potent force. The Black man neglected the deputies’ instruction to stop. Instead, he drove his vehicle towards one of the deputies.

Wombie said that the first gunshot came through the front windshield of Brown’s car, and not at the back as initially reported.

As the officers tried to serve a drug-related search and arrest warrant against Brown, the commotion ended in a brutal encounter resulting in the Black man’s passing outside his residence in Elizabeth City on April 21.

Three officers who got involved in the shooting were still on leave. Other officers who also responded to the scene were already reinstated since the sheriff argued that they did not directly participate in the fatal shooting.

In a separate autopsy issued by Brown’s family, he sustained five gunshots, including one at the back of his head. Referring to the body camera footage, Brown’s family lawyers emphasized that Brown was not carrying any firearm, and that he did not drive his way towards any of the officers or showed any violent behavior.

The district attorney has previously debunked such statements, arguing that Brown assaulted the authorities using his car twice, prior to their firing towards him.

In recent weeks, the incident sparked public outrage and protests. Demonstrators were calling for the release of the deputies’ body camera footage. The video was already shown to Brown’s family, but the judge has denied broadcasting the clip in public while the investigation is still in progress. 

In a separate take on the case, the FBI has started its civil rights investigation.

Source: Yahoo News