FBI launching investigation into Brown shooting in NC

The FBI is launching an investigation into the shooting death of Andrew Brown Jr., which happened in North Carolina on April 21.

“The FBI Charlotte Field Office has opened a federal civil rights investigation into the police involved shooting death of Andrew Brown, Jr. Agents will work closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina and the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice to determine whether federal laws were violated,” FBI spokeswoman Shelley Lynch said in a statement.

“As this is an ongoing investigation, we cannot comment further,” Lynch added.

Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office deputies pulled Brown over to deliver a search warrant and two arrest warrants that stemmed from Brown selling cocaine and methamphetamine to a police informant in March.

Body camera footage has not yet been released, as North Carolina law requires a judge to sign off before the video is published. The hearing in front of a judge will happen Wednesday.

The attorneys for Brown’s family said that Brown died from a bullet to the back of the head.

“We commissioned a private individual autopsy report … because we don’t have access to anything that’s official,” Wayne Kendall, the family’s attorney, said. “What our preliminary autopsy report shows is that there were five penetrating bullet wounds to the body of Andrew Brown Jr.”

Brown attempted to drive away from the officers when he was shot in the back of the head, Kendall said.

Family members were allowed to see the video unedited on Monday, but they were shown only a small portion that did not explain what led up to the officers shooting Brown.

The city is still under curfew as activists demand the footage be released.

Updated at 4:02 p.m.