Andrew Brown Jr.’s family files $30M civil rights lawsuit

The family of Andrew Brown Jr. has filed a $30 million civil rights lawsuit over his death in April.

Brown was shot and killed by police on April 21 in Elizabeth City, N.C., while Pasquotank County sheriff’s deputies were attempting to deliver warrants.

The suit in a North Carolina federal court argues that the officers involved “willfully, maliciously, in bad faith, and in reckless disregard of Brown’s federally protected constitutional rights.”

During a news conference in front of the courthouse, family attorney Bakari Sellers said the family believes they’ll get justice for Brown with the lawsuit.

“We didn’t feel as if we could get justice in the sheriff’s office, we didn’t feel as if we could get justice in the state court. So we had to come where we believe lady justice will be blind and have all things be equal,” Sellers said.
“We stand in front of this federal courthouse because this is where we believe Andrew Brown can finally get justice because he did not get justice in life, and so far he hasn’t even gotten justice in death,” he continued.

Video of the encounter showed deputies surrounding Brown’s vehicle with guns drawn and shouting for him to get out of the car.

Brown is then seen reversing the car, making contact with a deputy on the side of it, prompting a first shot to be fired. Officers continue shooting as the car begins to drive across a vacant lot, but toward a pair of deputies in unmarked vehicles on the street.

As officers continue to shoot, one bullet strikes Brown in the back of the head, killing him.

A state autopsy released last month confirmed that Brown died of a “penetrating gunshot wound of the head.”

Pasquotank County District Attorney Andrew Womble said in May that none of the officers involved would be charged, arguing that Brown was using the car as a deadly weapon.

The complaint names Pasquotank County Sheriff Tommy Wooten and several other deputies. The suit was filed by Lillie Brown Clark, who manages Brown’s estate.

The Hill has reached out to the sheriff’s office for comment.

The suit is the latest filed over high-profiled police shootings of minorities. Last week, the family of Breonna Taylor sued the Louisville Metro Police Department over claims that there was no body camera footage from the night she was shot to death in her home.