Andrew Brown Jr. died of a “kill shot” to the back of the head during his fatal interaction with sheriff’s deputies, an independent autopsy requested by his family shows. Lawyers representing Brown’s relatives announced the autopsy’s findings in a press conference on Tuesday (April 27), one day after his family was allowed to watch a “snippet” of deputies’ bodycam footage.
According to attorneys, Brown was fatally struck in the back of the head while he was driving away from law enforcement. Brown was driving away because he was being shot at, lawyers say, and was also hit by four bullets in his arm.
Deputies opened fire on Brown’s car, ultimately causing him to swerve into a nearby tree.
“It’s obvious he was trying to get away,” one of Brown’s sons said Tuesday.
“You don’t have to be a Democrat or Republican to feel like injustice was done… you just have to have a beating heart, a moral conscience,” attorney Bakari Sellers added.
The independent autopsy findings arrive after Brown’s family was permitted to watch only 20 seconds of deputies’ bodycam footage from the shooting. After seeing the snippet, the 42-year-old man’s relatives called his death an “execution.”
Lawyers also say that Elizabeth City, North Carolina officials initially told the family they’d be able to watch the entire, unedited footage. However, an hour before their scheduled meeting, the family learned the footage was being redacted.
“I was told by the district attorney that the family will get to see the raw footage, not the redacted version,” attorney Harry Daniels previously said. “These county administrators are walking back [on] the promises they have made. Show the tape. If you ain’t got nothing to hide, show the tape.”
As reported by REVOLT, community members have continued to call on officials to release the entire video to the public, which has yet to be done. Brown was killed last Wednesday (April 21) while deputies were serving him a warrant. Based on the footage, his family said, Brown was unarmed and had his hands on the steering wheel when deputies opened fire.
Seven Pasquotank County deputies were placed on administrative leave after the shooting, two resigned and one has retired. None of the deputies involved have been identified by authorities.