North Carolina sheriff’s deputy fatally shoots Black man while serving warrant

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(ELIZABETH CITY, N.C.) — A sheriff’s deputy shot and killed a Black man while executing a search warrant in North Carolina on Wednesday, authorities said.

The shooting occurred at approximately 8:30 a.m. ET as deputies from the Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office attempted to serve the man — identified as Andrew Brown Jr. — a search warrant at his home in Elizabeth City, about 170 miles northeast of Raleigh. Brown was fatally wounded during the encounter, according to Pasquotank County Sheriff Tommy Wooten.

“It’s been a tragic day,” Wooten said at a brief press conference Wednesday.

Wooten told reporters he wasn’t sure of Brown’s age, but court records show he was 42.

The unnamed deputy who fired the fatal shot has been placed on administrative leave pending a review by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, according to Wooten, who vowed to be “transparent and take the proper actions based on the findings.”

“I have put together a team of local law enforcement to come to Pasquotank County to ensure the safety and protection of the citizens in our community,” the sheriff said.

The deputy was wearing an active body camera but the sheriff said he will not be releasing the footage at this time.

“We are currently working that right now as hard as we can,” Wooten told reporters. “We will be transparent with this situation, absolutely.”

Wooten declined to say what the search warrant was for or how many shots were fired.

Masha Rogers, the special agent in charge of the northeastern district of North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, said investigators will conduct a thorough probe before turning their findings over to Andrew Womble, the district attorney for North Carolina’s first prosecutorial district.

“He will make a determination about any criminal charges,” Rogers told reporters.

Womble said his office will be looking for “accurate answers and not fast answers.”

“This will not be a rush to judgement,” Womble told reporters. “We’re going to wait for that investigation as we’re duty bound to do.”

Further details on the shooting were not immediately available.

Brown’s death is the latest in a slew of officer-involved shootings of Black men, women and children that have sparked protests nationwide and even overseas. Dozens of people, some holding signs that read “Black Lives Matter” and “Stop Killing Unarmed Black Men,” gathered on Wednesday at the scene of the shooting in Elizabeth City and outside City Hall where the City Council held an emergency meeting.

The crowds grew as the sun set, with hundreds blocking traffic on a main thoroughfare of Elizabeth City and another group congregated outside Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office.

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