The family of Andrew Brown, Jr. is demanding officials in Elizabeth City, North Carolina to release the body camera footage of the police shooting that left their loved one dead. Brown, 42, was fatally shot by deputies last Wednesday (April 21) during the execution of a search warrant, according to multiple reports.
During a press conference on Monday (April 26), attorneys representing Brown’s family said officials told them they would be allowed to view the body camera footage at 11:30 a.m., but received a notice an hour prior to the scheduled start time that the footage was undergoing redactions before the family could view it.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, former South Carolina State Rep. Bakari Sellers, and attorney Harry Daniels are representing the family and say the family deserves to see the footage “raw.”
“Sheriff Wooten, you don’t need to say no more, just show the video,” Crump said during the conference.
“Show the tape,” Daniels said. “If you ain’t got nothing to hide, show the tape.”
According to witness accounts, Brown was driving away from police when they fired and fatally struck him. Brown’s family says he was shot in the back by the officers. Three deputies resigned following the shooting and seven have reportedly been placed on administrative leave.
Protesters peacefully demonstrated in the area after the shooting, which came the day after police in Columbus, Ohio fatally shot 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant and following the close of the Derek Chauvin trial in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Elizabeth City officials declared a state of emergency ahead of the footage being released.
“We hope this occurs today, but the actual time will be driven by the completion of the redactions,” Pasquotank County Attorney Michael Cox told WAVY 10 News. “We are also continuing to seek transparency within the law and continue our efforts to get a court order that would allow the video to be released to the public.”
Photo: Getty Images