Andrew Brown Jr. will be laid to rest today (May 3) as his loved ones continue to seek transparency in his death. As reported by REVOLT, the 42-year-old Black man was fatally shot by sheriff’s deputies in Elizabeth City, North Carolina last month while being served a warrant.
“He was a caring person and everything he did was for his kids,” one of Brown’s sons, Khalil Ferebee, told CNN. “He really loved all of us. It’s just sad that my baby brothers, my baby sisters got to grow up without him now.”
Brown will be laid to rest at the Fountain of Life Church in Elizabeth City and members of his family, civil rights attorney Ben Crump and Rev. Al Sharpton are expected to speak. George Floyd’s and Eric Garner’s family members will also attend the ceremony, Crump told CNN.
Protests continued in Elizabeth City on Sunday (May 2), one day before the funeral, as community members continue to call on authorities to release deputies’ body camera footage from Brown’s fatal shooting. Pasquotank County officials haven’t revealed much about the case, only showing two of Brown’s immediate family members 20 seconds of one deputy’s video.
On Wednesday (April 28), Judge Jeffrey Foster ruled that the footage could not be made public for another 30 to 45 days or until the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation completes its probe into Brown’s death. Per state law, the footage cannot be made public until a judge orders its release.
Brown’s family members who were permitted to view a snippet of the footage previously called the shooting an “execution.” An autopsy report also found that the father and grandfather was fatally shot five times, including one bullet to the back of his head. Witnesses have said Brown was driving away from deputies when they opened fire.
“I just don’t understand what they are trying to accomplish,” Brown’s aunt, Lillie Brown Clark, told CNN. “What’s the point in having the video and taxpayers pay[ing] for bodycams if they are not being seen?”