Andrew Brown Jr.’s relative disputes official account of the fatal police shooting

A relative of Andrew Brown Jr., who was fatally shot by deputy sheriffs last week, has offered a different account of what happened in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, when police fired on the 42-year-old Black man.

The new account underscores the differences that have already emerged between Brown’s family and the Pasquotank District Attorney.

Brown was fatally shot when Pasquotank County deputies were trying to execute a warrant on April 21, officials said.

The relative, who does not want to be identified, told CNN that Brown started backing up his car “and they started shooting the front windshield of his car.”

The relative added: “And then he took off to go across the yard and they started shooting the back window of his car.”

A photo shared by the relative appears to show the Pasquotank Sheriff Department’s truck in Brown’s driveway. The relative also took pictures of Brown’s car after the shooting that appear to show at least one bullet hole in the front windshield.

Protesters and family members have called for the release of body camera footage to determine what led to the shooting that came amid national conversations over policing and racial bias. A judge ruled Wednesday that the family would be allowed to watch the videos but that the bodycam footage could not be made public for 30 days.

During the court hearing about the video Wednesday, District Attorney Andrew Womble said law enforcement opened fire only after Brown’s car came in contact with them.

“The next movement of the car is forward. It is in direction of law enforcement and makes contact with law enforcement. It is then and only then that you hear shots,” he said.

But the relative said they did not see Brown’s car come in contact with any officers and he was not backing up toward the officers and “there were none behind him.”

The relative became very emotional while talking about Brown. “It’s extremely heartbreaking to have to watch and go through knowing it’s one person you can’t bring back,” the relative said.

Brown’s family and attorneys, who had watched 20 seconds of video earlier this week, said Wednesday he was driving away to save his life from gunfire.

Khalil Ferebee, Brown’s son, said he saw his father driving away from the deputies. Chantel Cherry-Lassiter, one of the family attorneys, said the video showed an “execution,” in which deputies shot at Brown as he sat in his car with his hands on the wheel.

Brown’s funeral will be Monday at Fountain of Life Church in Elizabeth City, where his relatives will talk about his life and the Rev. Al Sharpton will deliver the eulogy, according to Ben Crump, an attorney for the family.

Also attending the funeral will be relatives of George Floyd, who died last May at the hands of Minneapolis police, and Eric Garner, who died in 2014 after being held in a choke hold by police in New York, according to Crump.

Four officers reinstated

Meanwhile, the Pasquotank County sheriff on Thursday said four officers who were at the scene of the shooting but had not used their weapons were being reinstated to active duty.

Sheriff Tommy Wooten said in a news release that he looked at body camera footage and other evidence.

“It’s obvious that four of the deputies never fired their weapons and deserve to be reinstated to active duty. More investigation is necessary into the three deputies who did fire their weapons and they will remain on administrative leave,” he said.

Investigator Daniel Meads, Deputy Sheriff II Robert Morgan and Cpl. Aaron Lewellyn are the deputies on leave, the sheriff said.

According to the release, Lt. Steven Judd, Sgt. Michael Swindell, Sgt. Kenneth Bishop, and Sgt. Joel Lunsford have returned to active duty.