Andrew Brown Jr. case in North Carolina: Family of slain black man receives three million dollars

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Protests following the death of Andrew Brown Jr.

Photo: JONATHAN DRAKE / REUTERS

In an out-of-court settlement, a North Carolina county has agreed to pay Andrew Brown Jr.'s survivors $3 million.

The local sheriff said in a statement.

Brown, 40, was shot dead in 2021 in the small town of Elizabeth City, North Carolina.

Police arrested Brown on April 21 on drug charges and wanted to search his home.

Footage from officers' body cameras shows the heavily armed officers surrounding the car the 42-year-old was in and asking him to exit the vehicle.

Brown then initially reversed the car and then drove forward.

The police dodged and fired 14 shots at the moving car.

A bullet hit Brown in the back of the head, fatally injuring him.

According to prosecutors, the entire incident lasted exactly 44 seconds.

Case comes one day after Derek Chauvin was found guilty

The case came shortly after the sensational guilty verdict against white ex-cop Derek Chauvin in the case of the dead African American George Floyd.

The killing of the unarmed 46-year-old almost a year ago in the state of Minnesota led to mass protests against racism and police violence in the United States.

In July 2021, Brown's family filed a civil rights lawsuit against Pasquotank County Sheriff Tommy Wooten and law enforcement officers, initially seeking $30 million in damages.

“I understand that no words could ease your pain.

I offer you my sincere condolences and condolences as you continue to mourn the loss of Andrew Brown Jr.," Wooten said in a statement.

Lawyers for the family said in the same statement that the money will go to Brown's children.

“No comparison could ever fill the hole his death left in their hearts.

This agreement is about providing for the future of these children,” they said.

No prosecution of the deputy sheriffs

Pasquotank County District Attorney Andrew Womble declined to prosecute the deputies.

He said they feared for their lives when Brown, who was wanted on suspicion of selling cocaine, drove up to them in his car.

The county coroner ruled Brown's death a homicide.

The family's lawyers accuse the police of "executing" the man.

Lawyers for the family said an independent autopsy found Brown died from a gunshot to the back of the head.

According to the lawyers, Brown did not want to flee, but only fled to safety because the officers shot at him.

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