NC DA says bodycam shows that brown hit cops with car before being shot.
« on: Today at 11:32:57 AM »
https://www.foxnews.com/us/live-updates-andrew-brown-jr-body-cam-elizabeth-city-nc-protests-pasquotank-countyLIVE UPDATES: DA claims Andrew Brown Jr.’s car made contact with deputies twice before law enforcement fired
Police issued multiple unlawful assembly warnings for the crowd
Fox News
N.C. sheriff and media requesting release of bodycam footage from Andrew Brown Jr. death
Roads were closed in downtown Elizabeth City, North Carolina Wednesday ahead of a court hearing where a judge is to consider petitions to release body-camera footage of the deputy shooting of Andrew Brown Jr.
The hearing was scheduled to take place at the Pasquotank County Courthouse in Elizabeth City at 10 a.m. ET, Fox News has learned. Superior Court Judge Jeffery Foster is presiding.
A total of seven people were arrested Tuesday as protests continued for a seventh straight night. Dozens of protesters remained out on the streets in violation of the city's curfew that went into effect at 8 p.m.
Police issued multiple unlawful assembly warnings for the crowd, which they said was "blocking officers and is continuing to violate North Carolina General Statutes." "The final warning has been given to disperse," Elizabeth City police said just before 10 p.m. "Arrests will be made at this time."
A protester carries a Black Lives Matter flag shortly before the start of a dawn to dusk curfew following the killing of Andrew Brown Jr. by sheriffs last week, in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, U.S. April 27, 2021. REUTERS/Jonathan Drake
A protester carries a Black Lives Matter flag shortly before the start of a dawn to dusk curfew following the killing of Andrew Brown Jr. by sheriffs last week, in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, U.S. April 27, 2021. REUTERS/Jonathan Drake (REUTERS)
The protests come after the FBI launched a civil rights probe Tuesday into the death of Brown, a Black man killed in Elizabeth City on April 21 as deputies were serving drug-related search and arrest warrants.
His family also released an independent autopsy showing he was shot five times, including in the back of the head.
FAST FACTS
The FBI probe will look into whether any federal laws were broken during the attempted arrest
Elizabeth City declared a state of emergency Monday
The public has demanded bodycam footage of the incident and a court hearing on access to the video was scheduled for Wednesday. Brown's family said they viewed 20 seconds of bodycam footage on Monday.
On Monday evening, hundreds of demonstrators marched through the city's downtown area, as some carried signs and chanted: "Release the tape! The real tape!"
Follow below for more updates on North Carolina. Mobile users click here.
LIVE
FoxLiveBlogTeam
REPORTER
53 minutes ago
District Attorney Andrew Womble told a judge at the hearing Wednesday that Andrew Brown Jr.’s car made contact with deputies twice as it backed out of the driveway before law enforcement opened fire.
“As it backs up, it does make contact with law enforcement officers,” he said, adding that the car stops again. “The next movement of the car is forward. It is in the direction of law enforcement and makes contact with law enforcement. It is then and only then that you hear shots.”
Womble argued that body camera video from the shooting, a portion of which was shown to the family on Monday, should be kept from the public for another 30 days so that the State Bureau of Investigation can make progress on their probe of the shooting.
Statements made by attorney Chantel Cherry-Lassiter at a press conference describing the body camera footage are “painfully false,” Womble said. He said Cherry-Lassiter, who represents Brown’s family and was privately shown 20 seconds of footage, inaccurately described the “movements” of Brown’s car when deputies arrived the serve arrest and search warrants.
FoxLiveBlogTeam
REPORTER
59 minutes ago
Court entered break around 11:30 a.m. ET. Superior Court Judge Jeffery Foster said he will return to his chambers to consider the matters and be back in 15 minutes with his decision about the body-camera footage.
FoxLiveBlogTeam
REPORTER
1 hour ago
Fox News confirms with Elizabeth City Police that there were 7 total arrests Tuesday night during protests. For context, these were the first arrests after seven straight nights of protests. Tuesday night's arrests come after the first night when an 8 p.m. curfew was in effect.
FoxLiveBlogTeam
REPORTER
1 hour ago
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Pasquotank County Sheriff Tommy Wooten II speaks with Fox News ahead of court hearing in Elizabeth City, N.C. on the release of body-camera footage showing the fatal deputy-involved shooting of Andrew Brown Jr.
“I truly want this video to be released. I, in fact, requested that the petition be filed to have this video released to the public,” Wooten said. “Transparency is paramount not only for an agency, but for the community as well, because it helps us keep that trust with the community.”
“No one has to worry about the sheriff's office trying to hide anything,” Wooten told Fox News’ Griff Jenkins. “We're just not going to do that, you know, period. The sheriff said that any suggestion his office intentionally withholding any part of the video is “completely not true.”
https://video.foxnews.com/v/6250880594001#sp=show-clipslink entity
NC Sheriff Wooten speaks to Fox News ahead of Andrew Brown Jr. bodycam court hearing
video.foxnews.com
FoxLiveBlogTeam
REPORTER
1 hour ago
Statements made by attorney Chantel Cherry-Lassiter at a press conference describing the body camera footage are “painfully false,” the district attorney said in court on Wednesday. He said Cherry-Lassiter, who represents Brown’s family, inaccurately described the movements of Brown’s car when deputies arrived to his home to serve arrest and search warrants.
FoxLiveBlogTeam
REPORTER
1 hour ago
Judge said he spent hours Tuesday night reviewing footage that exists in custody of SBI and knows the contents.
The district attorney has requested that the court delay the release of the body camera video by 30 days. If the SBI deems that charges are necessary once concluding the investigation, the attorney asks the judge not to publicly release the video. He does want Andrew Brown Jr.’s family to see the video – EITHER in a jury trial after charges brought OR at a press conference led by the DA to answer questions about why there would be no charging decision.
Sheriff’s office has been transparent from the beginning, “not as defined by out of town activists and divisive voices on social media, but as defined by North Carolina law,” Pasquotank County Attorney R. Michael Cox said in court on Wednesday.
Cox said he does not believe the release of the footage will impede on State Bureau of Investigation probe into the shooting in any way. He asked the judge to allow the Pasquotank Sheriff's Office to release footage to the news media.
FoxLiveBlogTeam
REPORTER
2 hours ago
[CONTINUED] As far as any relevant video, we defer to the local authorities and the courts to make that determination as guided by State law. The SBI supports transparency to the greatest extent possible, as we think this serves the interests of the family, the local community, and North Carolina as a whole.
Please know we will continue to investigate this matter with a full commitment to obtaining truth and justice for all concerned. That is central to the mission of this agency and will certainly be upheld with respect to the timely investigation of this matter.
Anyone with material information regarding this case is encouraged to call the NC SBI at 1-888-NCISAAC or email us at NCISAAC@ncsbi.gov.
Robert L. Schurmeier
Director
North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation
FoxLiveBlogTeam
REPORTER
2 hours ago
Statement from SBI Director on Pasquotank County Officer-Involved Shooting
I want to confirm that Special Agents of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) are continuing to conduct a comprehensive, objective, and thorough investigation of the circumstances surrounding the death of Andrew Brown, Jr. It is customary that the State Bureau of Investigation investigate incidents of officer-involved shootings in North Carolina at the request of local law enforcement agencies and prosecutors.
As an agency, we share the family and community’s sense of urgency to understand precisely what occurred during this incident. Our role is to pursue the truth and to ultimately share the results of our work with the prosecutor. To that end, I want to assure that the full resources of the NC SBI are being utilized to pursue an independent, thorough, and impartial investigation into the matter of Mr. Brown’s death. The family, the community, and all impacted by this event deserve no less and the SBI is fully committed to making sure that the true facts are known, no matter where those facts lead us.
FoxLiveBlogTeam
REPORTER
3 hours ago
Roads were closed in downtown Elizabeth City, N.C. Wednesday ahead of a court hearing where a judge is to consider petitions to release body-camera footage of the deputy shooting of Andrew Brown Jr.
The hearing is scheduled to take place at the Pasquotank County Courthouse in Elizabeth City at 10 a.m. ET, Fox News has learned. Superior Court Judge Jeffery Foster is presiding.
