Protests rise in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, where an officer shot and killed African American Andrew Brown Jr while serving a search warrant. Authorities did not give details of the shooting, but an eyewitness said Brown was shot while trying to escape in a car and that officers shot him multiple times.
According to the witness, having left the house after hearing the knocks, the car Brown was in would have pulled out of the driveway and hit a tree. “He was already dead when they opened the door,” said the witness all’Associated Press. The Pasquotank County Deputy Sheriff was put on leave pending investigation by the State Bureau of Investigation, Sheriff Tommy Wooten II confirmed at a news conference. Court records indicate Brown was 42 and had a history of drug charges.
According to local media reports, the Elizabeth City council has been urgently convened. About 100 people gathered in front of the town hall, some of them Brown’s friends, demanding answers and justice.
“There are a lot of people injured in our city,” said Councilor Gabriel Adkins, representative of the district of the city where the shooting took place. “We just want to remind everyone to stay calm,” he added, asking people to trust the State Bureau of Investigation. Police officials gave little details about the shooting, saying the State Bureau of Investigation is conducting the investigation.
The North Carolina shooting comes less than 24 hours after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder in the George Floyd case.