RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper weighed in on the controversy surrounding the release of body cam footage after Pasquotank County deputies gunned down 42-year-old Andrew Brown Jr. in Elizabeth City.
The governor is calling the events surrounding Brown’s death “tragic and extremely concerning”. As a result, Cooper is asking for more transparency surrounding the shooting.
“Initial reports of the shooting in Elizabeth City and death of Andrew Brown, Jr. this week are tragic and extremely concerning. The body camera footage should be made public as quickly as possible and the SBI should investigate thoroughly to ensure accountability,” Cooper said in a tweet Friday evening.
Seven deputies are on administrative leave following Wednesday’s shooting of Brown Jr.
Another three deputies have resigned since Wednesday, WAVY’s Jason Marks reports.
The sheriff the bodycam video could be released in the next couple days.
The release of the body camera footage requires a court order under North Carolina law.
The Elizabeth City Council held an emergency meeting starting at 3:30 p.m. Friday.
The City Council voted unanimously during the meeting to petition the Pasquotank County sheriff to release the body camera video. If the request is denied, the city attorney is directed to go to a superior court to request an order for release.
Recordings of scanner traffic compiled by broadcastify.com from the morning of the shooting include emergency personnel indicating that Brown was shot in the back. An eyewitness has said that deputies fired shots at Brown as he tried to drive away, and a car authorities removed from the scene appeared to have multiple bullet holes and its back windshield shattered.
“We are responding. Law enforcement on scene advises shots fired, need EMS,” says one woman, who refers to the address where the warrant was served.
“EMS has got one male 42 years of age, gunshot to the back. We do have viable pulse at this time,” said a male voice. Someone then said that first responders were performing resuscitation efforts.
The sheriff, district attorney and state medical examiner didn’t immediately respond to emails Friday asking for comment on the scanner traffic. The SBI declined to comment.
On Friday night, Wooten, the Pasquotank sheriff, also held a Facebook live press conference. He was joined by local faith leaders, who expressed support that the sheriff will ensure justice comes out of the situation.
The sheriff reiterated that if it’s determined his deputies broke the law or policies, they will be held accountable.
