Elizabeth City, North Carolina, has moved its curfew to later in the evening following nights of protests. The local police department will also require permit applications to be completed by protestors.
On Thursday, authorities identified deputies who had been involved in a shooting incident last week when law enforcement authorities arrived at the home of Andrew Brown Jr., 42, to serve search and arrest warrants due to the belief that he was trafficking in dangerous narcotics. Brown was allegedly shot during the encounter and died.
As reported by Hampton Roads news site, Pasquotank County Sheriff Tommy Wooten said that four of the deputies involved have returned to the force. He said “it’s obvious” they did not shoot at Brown. The three other deputies who did fire their weapons will stay on administrative leave while the investigation continues.
“After reviewing the preliminary conclusions of the independent investigators conducting the internal review, and after carefully examining the body camera footage of the incident with my own staff, it’s obvious that four of the deputies never fired their weapons and deserve to be reinstated to active duty,” Wooten said in a release Thursday. “More investigation is necessary into the three deputies who did fire their weapons and they will remain on administrative leave pending completion of the internal investigation and/or the criminal investigation being conducted by the State Bureau of Investigation.”
“Our county is united behind the importance of doing a careful, serious, and impartial review of everything that happened,” Wooten concluded. “Some people want a rush to judgment and others want to pit people against each other in a way that can only hurt our county. My job is to ensure transparency and accountability, while also preserving the ability for the independent investigators to do their deliberate, painstaking, and vital work,” Wooten said.
As reported by ABC 11, a gathering of hundreds of demonstrators occurred Wednesday night after a North Carolina judge decided against releasing the body camera footage to the public for at least 30 days, until the investigation is complete. The judge ruled that Brown’s family would be able to see the video sooner than that.
The outlet reported that over a dozen protestors “were seen refusing to disperse after 8 p.m., which is when local leaders have implemented a curfew making gatherings after that time illegal.”
The Raleigh News & Observer reported that Elizabeth City police wearing tactical gear started to take action against violators of the 8 p.m. curfew a little before 11 p.m. Police said, “Move Back! Move Back!” and took half steps at a time as they came forward from two sides and allegedly told media to leave. At least five protestors were arrested.
Local business owners told ABC 11 that they were not in support of the 8p.m. curfew earlier this week, while City Manager Montre’ Freeman told the outlet that the decision to impose a curfew was done in order to be cautious, saying, “… I still have a duty, a sworn duty to protect our citizens, our infrastructure, and our assets.”
Last week, Andrew Brown, Jr., a 42-year-old black man, was reportedly killed following an encounter with law enforcement authorities. As reported by The Associated Press, “Pasquotank County Sheriff Tommy Wooten II has said that deputies shot and killed Brown while serving drug-related search and arrest warrants but released few other details.”
WUNC North Carolina Public Radio reported:
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.
Attorneys for Brown’s family have said that the shooting was an “execution,” but Andrew Womble, district attorney for the First Prosecutorial District, has pushed back against those claims. He said that Brown’s car moved and “made contact with law enforcement” before deputies began to shoot.
“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,” the district attorney said.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced Tuesday that it will be investigating Brown’s death. The investigation was announced a day after Brown’s family and their attorneys were able to view the body camera footage of the incident. An autopsy was also conducted that the family commissioned. The forensic pathologist, Dr. Brent Hall, reportedly found that Brown was shot four times in the right arm and one time in the back of the head.
This story originally said “serve a search and arrest warrant due to felony drug charges” and has been updated to reflect the change. We regret the error.