ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. (WAVY) — The North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) released the results of Andrew Brown Jr.’s autopsy on Thursday. It confirmed that the 42-year-old man died as a result of a gunshot wound to the back of his head.
DOCUMENTS: Medical Examiner Report | Autopsy Exam
Brown was shot and killed by Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office deputies on April 21. Brown, who was the center of an investigation, tried to flee his home in his car while deputies attempted to serve drug-related search and arrest warrants at the residence in the 400 block of Perry Street. Deputies shot at Brown’s car, hitting and killing him. Brown crashed the car into a tree across the street. He was pronounced dead after deputies tried to perform life-saving measures on him.
The OCME report confirmed that Brown also suffered from a gunshot wound to his right arm. The OCME ruled Brown’s manner of death as a homicide.
Attorneys representing Brown’s family issued a statement following the release of the autopsy. They wrote that they were “astounded and disgusted” that authorities in the case didn’t share the results of the state’s autopsy with Brown’s family before it was disseminated to the media.
“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. The false narrative that DA Womble has attempted to weave is completely discredited by this autopsy report.”
“Despite law enforcement’s and the district attorney’s best efforts to hide the facts in this case, and paint Andrew as a villain, we are confident that the truth will be revealed and justice will prevail.”
“We will continue to demand release of video footage from the day Andrew was killed, and we won’t stop fighting for transparency and accountability from law enforcement and the district attorney. From what we’ve seen thus far from both parties, we have a long way to go.”
Statement from Brown Family Attorneys
The OCME’s findings were in line with the results of an independent autopsy, which the family requested in the days after Brown died. The independent autopsy indicated that Brown was struck by four bullets in the arm before the fatal shot to the back of the head.
Pasquotank County District Attorney Andrew Womble announced that the killing was justified on May 17. The three PCSO deputies who fired their weapons, Investigator Daniel Meads, Deputy Robert Morgan and Cpl. Aaron Lewellyn, won’t face charges.
The deputies were put on administrative leave pending the investigation into Brown’s death. Two of the three deputies returned to work in early June. The third, Lewellyn, will resign on June 30. He is using leave until that time.
Community leaders from Elizabeth City and Pasquotank County traveled to Washington D.C. to share Brown’s story with officials at the United States Department of Justice on June 3. This group asked the DOJ to review the PCSO’s practice and to implement changes to North Carolina laws regarding body camera footage so they’re less restrictive.
