On April 21, Andrew Brown was shot and killed by deputies in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. They were executing a search warrant. It occurred around 8:30 that morning. We don’t know what happened, but here’s a quick review (via NYT):
Just before 8:30 a.m. on April 21, a Pasquotank Sheriff’s Office truck drove down a residential street and arrived at a home with deputies sitting in the back, dressed in tactical gear, video footage shows. Moments later, several shots were fired at Mr. Brown. (The video was obtained by WAVY, a Virginia-based television station, through a public records request.)
A 20-second snippet of a deputy’s body-camera footage was released to Mr. Brown’s family and their lawyer, who called it an “execution.” A private autopsy, paid for by his family, showed that he was hit by five bullets and killed by a shot to the head.
The family’s lawyer said that Mr. Brown was sitting inside his car, hands “firmly on the wheel,” when gunshots were fired. He did not appear to be holding a weapon, and was driving away as the police continued shooting.
The full video has not been released. Under North Carolina law, a judge must sign off on the release of police bodycam footage. What Brown’s family and their attorney did see was just a 20-second clip of one of the bodycams. That’s all. You cannot definitively reach any conclusions from that, but Brown’s attorneys, which includes CNN’s Bakari Sellers, said he was executed, and that this was an assassination. These pressers were more like political rallies. The independent autopsy was also displayed yesterday. It’s been a circus that’s thin on facts because we need to see the tape. Well, that could happen today. A judge is reviewing the evidence as we speak.
Local reporter Evan Watson of 13 Now News, an ABC News affiliate, tweeted that District Attorney Andrew Womble said the bodycam footage shows “the car of Andrew Brown was stationary when deputies approached and grabbed door, Brown backed up and ‘made contact’ with law enforcement, then drove forward and ‘makes contact’ with deputies, and *then* shots are fired.”
WEDNESDAY: A Pasquotank County judge will hear a request to release body cam video of the #AndrewBrown shooting to the public.
— Evan Watson (@EvanWatsonNews) April 28, 2021
North Carolina law requires court order to release video. Space is limited- legal counsel/family/parties going in now, press may use overflow @13NewsNow pic.twitter.com/bT7YPtXHiY
North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation statement this morning: “full resources..are being utilized to pursue an independent, thorough & impartial investigation”
— Evan Watson (@EvanWatsonNews) April 28, 2021
NCSBI says it defers bodycam decision to courts & supports “transparency to greatest extent possible” @13NewsNow pic.twitter.com/An6HuiZMOm
Family members of #AndrewBrown entering the Pasquotank County Courthouse this morning - attorneys right behind them.
— Evan Watson (@EvanWatsonNews) April 28, 2021
Q: What are you hoping for today?
A: “Transparency”@13NewsNow pic.twitter.com/cv6B3uI9HS
Womble on body cam video: The car of #AndrewBrown was stationary when deputies approached and grabbed door, Brown backed up and “made contact” with law enforcement, then drove forward and “makes contact” with deputies, and *then* shots are fired. @13NewsNow
— Evan Watson (@EvanWatsonNews) April 28, 2021
A note: DA Womble said “all 4 body cameras” in his address to the judge, our first notice of how *many* cameras were rolling.
— Evan Watson (@EvanWatsonNews) April 28, 2021
The judge said he’s seen the body camera videos and he spent hours last night reviewing them. @13NewsNow
Arguments are finished. Judge is taking a 15-20 minute break to review and then he will be back out to make a decision on the release of body camera video in the death of #AndrewBrown
— Evan Watson (@EvanWatsonNews) April 28, 2021
That is decidedly not what we were told by the Brown family’s attorneys of course.
Watson added that DA Womble stated “the body camera video should be disclosed to the family of Andrew Brown, but not released to the public for 30 days (a delay to allow NCSBI [ North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation] to complete its investigation and Womble to decide on charges.”
We also know now that there are four bodycams that recorded this incident. So, all the videos might be shown to Brown’s family, but not released publicly for another few weeks is where we stand right now. Still, Brown allegedly trying to run over police officers is a new twist and one of the reasons why activists tend to make these incidents much worse for everyone involved.
There is a huge gulf between a justifiable shooting and an execution. You all know this, and the latter narrative appears it could be gutted very soon.
H/T Twitchy
UPDATE: The Pasquotank County judge ruled that releasing the videos "could threaten a fair trial," and as such will not be released to the public for now. The family of Andrew Brown will be able to view partially-redacted bodycam footage while state authorities conduct their investigation, and the judge will reconsider making the videos public at a later date, according to Watson.
The judge says the body camera video *will* be disclosed to certain members of #AndrewBrown family within 10 days. That disclosure will include blurs and some redactions.
— Evan Watson (@EvanWatsonNews) April 28, 2021
Judge said release of body camera video could threaten a fair trial and justice in the case @13NewsNow pic.twitter.com/5lNjCPEZWm
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