Tipsheet

BREAKING: NC District Attorney Says Bodycam Footage Shows Andrew Brown Trying to Run Over Deputies

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  April 28, 2021 12:35 PM

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.” 

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.”

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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.