Family of Andrew Brown Jr. Label his Death by North Carolina Cop an ‘Execution’

The latest police killing of a Black man has been described as an “execution” by members of the victim’s family and the attorneys representing them.

According to USA Today, the attorneys and family of police killing victim, Andrew Brown Jr., have labeled his death in North Carolina as an “execution.’’ The family spoke at a press conference Monday after they were allowed to see just 20 seconds of police bodycam video of the incident that resulted in Brown’s death at the hands of law enforcement.

Sheriff’s deputies shot and killed 42-year-old Brown while executing a search and arrest warrant at his place of residence last Wednesday in Elizabeth City, North Carolina.

Before the family was shown the video clip, Elizabeth City Mayor Bettie Parker declared a state of emergency that will extend at least into Tuesday. The mayor stated that the emergency status will continue “until deemed no longer necessary to protect our citizens,” according to the declaration. “There may potentially be a period of civil unrest within the city following the public release of that footage,” Mayor Parker stated in the emergency declaration.

“We do not feel that we got transparency,” said Benjamin Crump, one of the attorneys representing the family. “We only saw a snippet of the video. … And they determined what was pertinent. Why couldn’t the family see all of the video? They only showed one body-cam video, even though we know there were several.’’

“It’s like we’re against all odds in this world,” Brown’s son Khalil Ferebee stated during the press conference. “My dad got executed just by trying to save his own life. The officers were not in no harm of him at all. It’s just messed up how this happened. He got executed. It ain’t right. It ain’t right at all.

CNN reported that the Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office posted a video statement to its Facebook page. Pasquotank Sheriff Tommy Wooten stated: “This tragic incident was quick and over in less than 30 seconds, and body cameras are shaky and sometimes hard to decipher. They only tell part of the story.”