The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

The family of Andrew Brown Jr., a black man shot by North Carolina police, will receive $3 million

2022-06-07T13:04:56.626Z


Brown was 42 years old when he was shot dead by officers trying to arrest him in April 2021. The family had filed a $30 million civil rights lawsuit.


By Tom Foreman Jr. -

The Associated Press

A North Carolina sheriff's office announced Monday a $3 million settlement in a lawsuit brought by the family of an unarmed black man who was shot to death in his car by sheriff's deputies more than a year ago.

Andrew Brown Jr.'s family had filed a $30 million civil rights lawsuit in 2021, alleging the man died because officers showed "willful and reckless disregard for his life."

[The remains of Andrew Brown Jr., the black man shot by police in North Carolina, are held]

Brown was killed on April 21 of last year by Pasquotank County Sheriff's deputies while serving drug-related warrants at his Elizabeth City home.

Several officers surrounded Brown in his BMW before his car backed up and moved forward.

They shot several times at his vehicle.

He died of a shot to the neck.

Andrew Brown Jr. Hit Police Officers With His Car, Prosecutor Says

April 28, 202100:28

District Attorney Andrew Womble had said at a news conference last year that Brown used his car as a "deadly weapon," leading sheriff's deputies to believe deadly force was necessary.

However, attorneys for Brown's family argued that the shooting was not justified because Brown was trying to walk away, not get closer to the officers, and that he posed no threat.

[The Prosecutor's Office believes the death of Andrew Brown was justified and will not charge the police officers who shot him in North Carolina]

After viewing body camera footage of the shooting, they said Brown was sitting in his parked car with his hands on the wheel when the first of numerous shots rang out.

The deal was approved by the Pasquotank County Board of County Commissioners.

It includes a $1 million special allocation in addition to the county's $2 million insurance policy, which was provided by the North Carolina Counties Liabilities Pool, according to a statement from the sheriff's office provided to The Associated Press.

That amount is at the policy limit.

Flowers before Andrew Brown Jr.'s funeral, Monday, May 3, 2021, at the Fountain of Life Church in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Gerry Broome / AP

The settlement was reached over several weeks last month in the case overseen by a federal magistrate in US District Court in Raleigh, the press release said.

The county's payment resolves the potential liability of the defendants and individual officials who were or may be named as defendants in the lawsuit, according to the news release.

The family has also signed a stipulation dismissing all claims against the defendants, namely Pasquotank County Sheriff Tommy Wooten II and three deputies, as well as other potential claims stemming from Brown's death, the report says. Press release.

[Death of a Black Man at the Hands of a North Carolina Police Officer Sparks Protests]

Brown's children will share in the benefits of the settlement as heirs to his estate, the sheriff's office said.

"Andrew Brown Jr. was a devoted father who wanted his children to have the things he did not have," said a statement from the five attorneys representing his family.

“Although no agreement could fill the hole that his death left in their hearts, this agreement tries to secure the future of those children, guaranteeing their education and guaranteeing that their dreams did not die with their father,” he added.

At the time, the lawsuit filed by the Brown family was the latest in a series of federal civil rights lawsuits following high-profile police shootings of black and brown people.

Many of them ended in settlements that often included money but did not specify any admission of guilt.

Some of the lawsuits end up in court, where a jury can award massive settlements that are reduced on appeal.

An independent autopsy commissioned by the family revealed that Brown was shot five times, including one in the back of the head.

Family members, who were privately shown a portion of the body camera video, alleged that Brown was trying to walk away when he was shot.

The shooting sparked days of protests in the rural northeastern North Carolina town.

Source: telemundo

All news articles on 2022-06-07

You may like

News/Politics 2024-02-26T15:44:30.789Z

Trends 24h

News/Politics 2024-03-27T16:45:54.081Z

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.