Judge says Andrew Brown Jr. family can see footage of his fatal shooting
The Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office and a media coalition had petitioned the court to allow for the disclosure of the videos. Under North Carolina law, body camera video is not a public record and cannot be released without a court order.
Marchers protest the shooting of Andrew Brown Jr. on April 28 in Elizabeth City, North Carolina.
Judge Jeff Foster granted, in part, a petition from the sheriff’s office allowing Brown’s family and one of its legal representatives to view the videos — but they will not be allowed to receive copies or make recordings.
Before the family views the footage, the judge ordered the sheriff’s office to blur the deputies’ facial features “to prevent identification pending the completion of any internal or criminal investigation into the actions of the deputies.”
The sheriff’s department said it was unclear if Brown’s family will see the video Friday.
“We’ve been working on making redactions since the hearing and are reviewing the order to comply with the specifics the judge included,” the sheriff’s department said in an email.
“We don’t anticipate seeing anything we don’t already know. We think it will show an unjustified shooting,” a source close to the Brown family said. “Regardless of when we see it (the videos) we will notice everyone when viewed and schedule a presser.”
The order says that the video disclosure “shall occur to the family within 10 days” of the order.
Protesters have been calling almost nightly for the full release of the videos. Another protest with members of the clergy including Bishop William Barber is set for Saturday.
