ANDREW Brown’s family are furious after claiming they saw only a small snippet of cop’s bodycam footage showing the shooting of the dad.
It comes as Elizabeth City, North Carolina, has declared a state of emergency ahead of the release of the bodycam footage of Andrew Brown Jr.’s death.
Brown, 42, was fatally shot during a drug-related warrant executed by police on April 21.
Brown was confronted by a Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office deputy attempting to serve him a warrant at around 8.30am on Wednesday.
The deputy fired a gun while Brown was allegedly driving away from his Elizabeth City, North Carolina home.
Since the April 21 shooting, authorities have provided limited information regarding the circumstances under which Brown was killed.
Protests demanding transparency have persisted in Elizabeth City, where the shooting occurred.
Brown’s family was supposed to watch the bodycam video on Monday at the Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office.
It was not yet clear when the body camera footage would be released publicly.
North Carolina law requires that in order to release critical evidence such as body camera footage, a court order must be issued.
Read our live blog below for the very latest on Andrew Brown Jr.’s death…
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‘THEY DESERVE TRANSPARENCY’
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FAMILY’S FURY OVER ‘EDITED’ BODY-CAM FOOTAGE
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‘TRYING TO SPREAD NEGATIVE INFORMATION’
Earlier, a search warrant was released saying deputies obtained the warrant that brought them there after investigators recorded him selling small amounts of cocaine and methamphetamine to an informant.
But family lawyer and top civil rights campaigner, Benjamin Crump argued the authorities were trying to release negative information about Brown while shielding themselves by holding back the video.
Brown’s fatal shooting last Wednesday in Elizabeth City has prompted days of protests, calls for the public release of deputy body camera video and civil rights leaders decrying that warrants should not lead to a fatal shooting.
Signs including emergency scanner traffic and an eyewitness account had already indicated Brown was shot in the back as he was trying to drive away. Authorities have released few details.
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‘THEY WERE SHOOTING WHILE ASKING HIM TO SHOW HANDS’
An eyewitness account and emergency scanner traffic had previously indicated Brown was shot in the back as he tried to drive away.
Attorney Chantel Cherry-Lassiter, who watched the video multiple times and took notes, said shooting started as soon as the video started.
She said she counted as many as eight deputies in the video, some wearing tactical uniforms and some in plainclothes.
“They’re shooting and saying let me see your hands at the same time”, she said.
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BROWN SHOT IN BACK IN HEAD
A Black man killed by deputies in North Carolina was shot in the back of his head and had his hands on the car steering wheel when they opened fire, attorneys for the family said today after body camera video was shown to his relatives.
Attorney Chantel Cherry-Lassiter watched a 20-second portion of body camera video with the family of Andrew Brown Jr. today.
She said Brown did not appear to be a threat to officers as he backed his vehicle out and tried to drive away.
He was not threatening them in any kind of fashion, she told reporters at a news conference.
When asked whether Brown was shot in the back, attorney Harry Daniels said, Yes, back of the head
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‘FAMILY WATCHED BODY CAM FOOTAGE 20 TIMES’
The 20 second video was said to show Brown was in the driveway.
A Sheriff truck then blocked his way.
But his hands were said to be on the steering wheel.
Deputies were then said to have ran up to car shooting their weapons as he finally tries to get away.
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BROWN HAD HANDS ON STEERING WHEEL WHEN SHOT
Attorney Chantel Cherry-Lassiter watched a 20-second portion of body camera video with Brown’s family..
She said Brown did not appear to be a threat to officers as he backed his vehicle out and tried to drive away.
Brown was shot and killed by deputies serving a search warrant last week. Protesters have demanded the video to be released publicly.
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‘HE TOLD ME, ‘I’M NOT GOING TO BE F***ING GOING TO BE BULLIED’’
Bakari Sellers, CNN contributor & Attorney for family of Andrew Brown, said: “I’ve never been talked to like I was talked to in there… [He] told me, a grown black man, that he was not fucking going to be bullied.”
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‘WHY CAN’T THE FAMILY SEE THE WHOLE VIDEO?’
The family and their lawyers were only shown 20 seconds of the footage, they say.
Crump said: “We do not feel that we got transparency, we only saw a snippet of the video where we know that the video started before and after what they showed the family.
“They determined what was perfect – why couldn’t the family see all of the video they only showed one body cam video even though we know there were several bodycam videos.
“Police can’t sweep this under the rug,” Crump said.
“What is it on this video that is so damning that you would risk your career and risk losing your job so the people can’t see the video?”
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‘WE HAVE TO KEEP DEMANDING TRANSPARENCY’
Crump said: “We have to keep demanding transparency, because we do not feel what the country attorney offered wazs transparency at all.
“It is very emotional, not only the video but how the family was disrespected even in the aftermath.”
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‘THEY ONLY SHOWED ONE CAM VID’
Crump said: “And they determined what was perfect why couldn’t the family see all of the videos they only showed one body cam video even tho we know there were several bodycam videos.”
Earlier county officials indicated that would be delayed because they were working on blurring some faces in the recording.
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FAMILY LAWYER: ONLY GOT TO SEE SNIPPET OF BODY-CAM
Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who’s among lawyers representing Brown’s family, said: “We do not feel that we got transparency, we only saw a snippet of the video where we know that the video started before and after what they showed the family.”
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FAMILY TO SPEAK
The family of Andrew Brown are expected to speak after watching the bodycam video.
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‘DELAY IS TO PROTECT COPS’
Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who’s among lawyers representing Brown’s family, told reporters the delay is meant to protect law enforcement officers.
This, he says, comes at the same time as they release the warrants with negative details about Brown.
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UPDATE: VIEWING DELAYS
Andew Brown’s family has yet to see the video as of 1.40 pm.
It had been hoped they could have had a private viewing of the body camera video this morning.
But county officials indicated that would be delayed because they were working on blurring some faces in the recording.
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WHAT HAS BEEN SAID ABOUT THE SHOOTING?
His relative Jadine Hampton said Mr Brown as a “great storyteller like a comedian” and had a “beautiful smile, infectious laugh”.
She told Heavy: “[He was a] wonderful father, who pushed his kids to be honor roll students even though he never finished school.
“He loved his family and would do anything to help. A huge heart. Never known to be violent or carry a gun that I’m aware.
“He will be missed and my family is heartbroken over this.”
She also wrote on Facebook: “My cousin is gone. Body still there and this happened hours ago.”
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WHY WAS ANDREW BROWN SHOT?
Brown was reportedly shot as he drove away from cops, according to neighbours.
Officers were called to the home in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, to carry out a search warrant.
In a statement, the Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Department said: “During the execution of the search warrant, a citizen who was subject to the search warrant was shot and fatally wounded.”
Neighbour Demetria Williams claimed Brown was shot by deputies multiple times as he drove away from the house.
She told AP: “When they opened the door he was already dead. He was slumped over.”
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WHO SHOT ANDREW BROWN?
It is unclear who the sheriff’s deputy who shot Andrew Brown is.
Brown was reportedly shot dead by cops around 8.30am on Wednesday as he drove away from them, witnesses claimed.
In a press conference, Sheriff Tommy Wooten Wooten said the deputy was placed on administrative leave.
Wooten confirmed there is bodycam video of the incident but said he had not yet seen it.
He said no more information would be released until the investigation was complete but that the sheriff’s office would be “transparent”.
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FLOYD’S FAMILY ATTORNEY TO VIEW FOOTAGE
High-profile civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump Crump, who secured the $27 million civil lawsuit in Minneapolis for the family of George Floyd, is to be present.
Beforehand Crump said: “Police can’t sweep this under the rug.
“What is it on this video that is so damning that you would risk your career and risk losing your job so the people can’t see the video?”
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STATE OF EMERGENCY DECLARED
Earlier today Elizabeth City officials declared a state of emergency amid concerns about how demonstrators would react to a possible video release.
Protests since the shooting in the eastern North Carolina town of about 18,000 have generally been peaceful.
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FAMILY TO VIEW BODYCAM FOOTAGE BEFORE MADE PUBLIC
County officials said today they will show the video to family after blurring out some of the faces in the video to protect an active internal investigation.
It comes as calls have been growing to release deputy body camera footage of the incident, which was not public record in North Carolina.
A judge must generally sign off on any release of body camera video.
A coalition of media has also petitioned the court for its release, and city officials also plan to.
Short of releasing it publicly, state law allows law enforcement to show body camera video privately to a victim’s family.
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WHO WAS ANDREW BROWN?
Dad-of-ten Andrew Brown, 40, was fatally shot by a police officer n Elizabeth City, North Carolina, early last Wednesday.
Cops had been executing a search warrant on April 21.
Deputies were serving a search warrant when Brown was shot while driving away, witnesses say.
Neighbors say they heard anywhere from 6 to 8 shots. It’s unclear if Brown was armed at the time.
“The was a law enforcement involved shooting and as such The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation has been contacted and will assume responsibility for the investigation into this incident,” said a statement put out by Sheriff Tommy S. Wooten II.
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FAMILY HIT BY DELAYS IN VIEWING POLICE BODY CAM
Brown’s family had hoped to have a private viewing of the body camera video this morning, but county officials indicated that would be delayed because they were working on blurring some faces in the recording.
Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who’s among lawyers representing Brown’s family, told reporters the delay is meant to protect law enforcement officers at the same time as they release the warrants with negative details about Brown.
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COURT DOCS SHOW COPS BUST BROWN OVER SMALL AMOUNT OF DRUGS
North Carolina deputies who fatally shot a Black man outside of his house obtained the search warrant that brought them there after investigators recorded him selling small amounts of cocaine and methamphetamine to an informant, according to court documents released today.