DA: Deputies Who Shot Andrew Brown Jr. 'Justified' In Their Actions

The North Carolina deputies involved in the fatal shooting of Andrew Brown Jr. won't face criminal charges and were "justified" in their actions, the Pasquotank County District Attorney announced Tuesday (May 18).

District Attorney Andrew Womble held a news conference Tuesday morning to discuss the results from the State Bureau of Investigation and explain the court's decision to not to press charges.

"Mr. Brown's death, while tragic, was justified, because Mr. Brown's actions caused three deputies with the Pasquotank County Sherif's Office to reasonably believe it was necessary to use deadly force to protect themselves and others," said Womble.

Brown, 42, was shot five times by deputies on April 21 as they attempted to serve a search warrant at his Elizabeth City home as part of a drug investigation, ABC 11 reports. When law enforcement arrived at his home, Brown reportedly tried to drive away, moving forward and forcing the officers surrounding his vehicle to avoid being hit. The deputies began firing several shots as Brown drove away, striking the vehicle before it eventually crashed into a tree nearby.

In the month since Brown's death, there has been a public outcry for release of the body camera footage from the shooting. On Tuesday, Womble played video from four different cameras during the 44 seconds between when deputies arrived at the scene and when they pulled Brown's body from his vehicle.

Brown's family has repeatedly called for the full video to be released after being shown about 20 minutes of the nearly two hours of footage, saying what they saw was not "justified," disputing the findings announced Tuesday.

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