FBI Launches Civil Rights Probe Into Andrew Brown's Death

CHARLOTTE, NC — The FBI Charlotte field office has launched a federal civil rights investigation into the death of Andrew Brown, Jr., a Black man who was shot and killed last week in Elizabeth City while trying to drive away from officers.

“Agents will work closely with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina and the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice to determine whether federal laws were violated," FBI Charlotte said Tuesday. "As this is an ongoing investigation, we cannot comment further."

Andrew Brown Jr., 42, was shot and killed by Pasquotank County Sheriff's Office deputies in Elizabeth City April 21 as they attempted to serve an arrest and search warrant that alleged that Brown sold small amounts of cocaine and methamphetamine to an informant. The police informant claimed to authorities to have purchased drugs from Brown for more than a year.

An attorney for Brown's family said he had both his hands on the steering wheel of the car he was in at the time of the shooting and was backing away from deputies, citing a 20-second body camera video of the incident she said indicated he posed no threat.

Tuesday, autopsy results revealed by Brown's family indicated he was shot five times — four non-lethal gunshot wounds on his right arm and a fatal shot in the back of the head.

SEE ALSO: Autopsy Shows Andrew Brown Shot 5 Times, Including Back Of Head

Brown family attorneys issued a statement in support of the FBI investigation, saying: "We have great faith that this caliber of an investigation will prevent any obscuring of the facts released to the Brown family and public, and will overcome any local bias that may prevent justice from being served."

The attorneys pointed to a street-level video obtained by local station WAVY that showed officers arriving at the scene, wearing black tactical gear in the back of a pickup truck.

The imagery was one on "an inflamed modern-day lynch mob," the family's lawyers said.

"We believe that once the long-awaited body camera footage is released, we will be able to fill in the gaps to this story and hold the officers responsible for Andrew Brown’s death accountable," the attorneys' statement said. "The longer law enforcement waits to release the body camera footage to the Brown family and the public, the more our suspicions are raised. This leaked footage hints as to why.”

The FBI investigates hundreds of civil rights cases each year and is the lead agency in investigating "color of law" cases where individuals are acting under authority bestowed by a local agency. Excessive force — which Brown's family alleges in the fatal shooting — is one such "color of law" violation. "The breadth and scope of the use of force is vast—from just the physical presence of the officer to the use of deadly force," according to the FBI. "Violations of federal law occur when it can be shown that the force used was willfully 'unreasonable' or 'excessive.'"

This marks the third such FBI civil rights case involving Black people killed as the result of police interaction. Investigations into the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minn., and of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, KY, are ongoing.

More information about FBI civil rights investigations may be found here.

The autopsy results, released by Brown's family, comes one day after they expressed outrage after authorities provided only a heavily redacted 20-second clip of the incident.

SEE ALSO: Andrew Brown Shooting: Family Only Shown 'Snippet' Of Video

Reading the autopsy results before a gathered crowd Tuesday morning, Brown family attorney Ben Crump said Brown had four bullet wounds in his right arm and "a kill shot to the back of the head."

"They won't release the video, so we have to painstakingly put the pieces together," Crump said.

SEE ALSO: NC Cops Sued After Black GA Librarian Pulled Out Of Car By Hair

Leading into Monday, many hoped the video's release to Brown's family would shed light on what transpired in the moments before Brown was targeted by a volley of gunfire. According to early eyewitness accounts, Brown was shot in the back of the head while trying to get away from officers, which prompted days of local protest and calls for transparency.

SEE ALSO:

• Calls Mount For Body Cam Footage In Andrew Brown Jr. Shooting
• Jury Finds Derek Chauvin Guilty On All Counts In Death Of Floyd
• Here's How The Police Initially Described George Floyd's Death
• Police Officers Not Directly Charged In Death Of Breonna Taylor