ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. — Attorneys for Andrew Brown’s family on Monday accused officials in Pasquotank County of deliberately hiding footage of his shooting death as tensions escalate over the unreleased video.
Their statements came shortly after Elizabeth City declared a state of emergency as it braced for fresh outrage over the shooting when the video is shown.
Pasquotank County Sheriff Tommy Wooten has pledged to request the release of his deputies’ bodycam footage, which must be authorized by a judge. His request comes amid calls for his resignation and multiple days of protest demanding transparency.
“City officials realize there may potentially be a period of civil unrest within the city following the public release of that footage,” the city’s declaration said Monday.
But Brown’s family and its legal team decried the delay and possible redactions of the body-cam video, saying the slain man’s relatives were promised a chance to view raw footage.
“I want to destroy the system that puts us in this position,” said Bakari Sellers, family attorney. “I want to make sure that in the state of North Carolina they can no longer hide videos from individuals that need to see them. ... Sunshine is the best disinfectant.”
Family attorney Ben Crump noted that the Parkland school shooter in Florida and other accused assailants who are white have been taken alive, unlike unarmed Black suspects.
”The most cowardly thing you can do is shoot somebody in the back,” Crump said. “They don’t shoot white people in the back.”
Dozens of local residents came to downtown Elizabeth City early Monday, setting up lawn chairs and many displaying signs.
Daija Mclean, 23, said she came out to support Brown’s family and to help put pressure on local officials to release the video, first to family members and then to the public.
“We know the video is very disturbing,” she said. “We know that much.”
Meanwhile, Pasquotank County attorney R. Michael Cox released a statement saying he hopes the video will be available Monday but officials are redacting portions of it.
“We’re glad that state law allows us to provide a private viewing of the body camera footage to the family of Mr. Brown and after we received their request on Sunday evening, we began working immediately to make that happen as soon as possible,” Cox wrote. “The law also allows us to blur some faces on the video and that process takes time.”
Brown, 42, died from gunshot wounds Wednesday after Pasquotank County sheriff’s deputies arrived at his home on Perry Street to serve search and arrest warrants.
Carolina Public Press reported Monday that officers went to Brown’s home searching for crack cocaine and other drugs. An investigator with the Albemarle Drug Task Force applied for the warrant Tuesday, one day before Brown’s death, acting on information from confidential informants who said they bought cocaine and methamphetamine from the slain man.
Brown has a lengthy criminal history, mostly for drug offenses, but is described as nonviolent.
“I’ve never known him to resist any officer or anybody,” Jamaul Riddick, his bail bondsman and lifelong friend, told Carolina Public Press. “I mean he’s not that type of person. ... He’s never been a violent person in his life. He doesn’t carry a gun,” he said. “He’s never had a gun, never carried a gun, and he’s just not violent.”
Neighbors heard the shots and witnessed deputies shooting at Brown’s fleeing car, counting 14 shell casings near the driveway.
Brown was shot in the back, according to police radio traffic, and his car crashed into a nearby tree with its rear window shot out.
Hundreds filled the streets to protest the shooting and call for the release of body-camera footage.
By declaring a state of emergency, the city becomes eligible for state and federal aid.
City Manager Montre Freeman said there is no specific threat, and the declaration also allows him to pull resources from nearby cities.
“I invite the media and any protesters and other visitors, when we get through this, to come back to our beautiful city and visit,” he said Monday.
The Rev. William Barber II addressed the crowd as family members and their attorneys were allowed into the public safety building at 1:30 p.m. Monday.
Barber prayed for the family: children, siblings, extended family.
”You know that all we have ever wanted is justice,” he said, along with truth and transparency.
