Autopsy confirms Andrew Brown Jr. died after NC deputies shot him in back of head
Autopsy results released Thursday confirm Andrew Brown Jr. died of a gunshot wound to the back of his head, rekindling anger over the Elizabeth City man slain by sheriff’s deputies.
Brown, 42, died April 21 as Pasquotank County deputies arrived to serve search and arrest warrants, firing into his car as he attempted to flee.
His family commissioned a private autopsy shortly afterward, and Brown’s attorneys called the fatal wound a “kill shot.”
The official autopsy from the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner reported bullet wounds to both his brain and arm. The report confirms that deputies attempted to administer first aid after Brown’s car crashed into a nearby tree.
“Given the autopsy and toxicological findings, it is my opinion that Mr. Andrew Brown Jr.’s cause of death was due to a penetrating gunshot wound of the head. Another significant condition included a penetrating gunshot wound of the right upper arm,” the medical examiner’s report said.
Anger and protests
But the report added to anger that has fueled weeks of protests following the shooting, along with District Attorney Andrew Womble’s decision not to prosecute deputies. Womble called the shooting “justified” because deputies feared being hit by Brown’s car.
“The autopsy results prove what we’ve always known to be true: Pasquotank County deputies executed Andrew Brown Jr. with a kill shot to the back of the head,” attorney Ben Crump said in a press release. “The false narrative that DA Womble has attempted to weave is completely discredited by this autopsy report.”
Crump said his legal team is further upset that county officials did not share the autopsy results with Brown’s family.
“While we are not surprised by the findings, we are both astounded and disgusted that the authorities in this case didn’t even have the decency to share these results with the family — we were alerted of their release by the media,” Crump said. “Every single opportunity DA Womble has had to do the right thing, he’s taken the route of cowardice and deceit. Shame on him.”
The results come as the Rev. William Barber II and NC NAACP President T. Anthony Spearman are calling on hundreds to march in protest Saturday. They are calling for a multi-state push to release the full video of the shooting, which Womble’s office has declined to do, and to bring in a special prosecutor.
Deputies arrived at Brown’s house wearing tactical gear and carrying handguns and an AR-15 rifle. Womble noted the warrants were being served after a lengthy drug investigation that showed Brown had made multiple sales. Womble also noted Brown’s history of resisting arrest.
The medical examiner’s report Thursday showed low levels of methamphetamine in his blood — not enough to contribute to his death, the report said. Brown was not armed during the shooting.
Family’s petition withdrawn
Meanwhile, Brown’s family has withdrawn its petition to have all body-camera footage from the shooting released.
In a motion filed by family attorneys Chance Lynch and Chantel Cherry-Lassiter, the family says it is impossible to reach an agreement over releasing the video without the court imposing gag orders or speech restrictions.
To protect their future legal action and avoid setting a bad legal precedent, attorneys wrote, they are withdrawing the motion.
This story was originally published June 10, 2021 at 1:38 PM with the headline "Autopsy confirms Andrew Brown Jr. died after NC deputies shot him in back of head."