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A $3 million settlement has been reached between a sheriff's office in North Carolina and the family of a Black man who was killed by deputies over a year ago, according to The Associated Press.
The family of Andrew Brown Jr. filed a $30 million lawsuit against the Pasquotank County Sheriff's Office after deputies were accused of fatally killing the man while serving drug-related warrants at his Elizabeth City home in April 2021. Several cops reportedly surrounded Brown's BMW as it moved some, prompting deputies to open fire on the man's vehicle.
An autopsy confirmed the victim was shot five times with the killing blow coming from a shot to the back of his head.
The sheriff's office argued that Brown was using his car as a "deadly weapon," thereby authorizing the use of deadly force. Brown's family members, who viewed body camera footage of the shooting, argued that Brown was sitting in his stationary car and had his hands on the steering wheel when deputies shot at him. They also claim Brown was trying to get away from authorities, not run them over.
"The county's payment resolves potential liability against the defendants and any individual officers who were either named or could be named as defendants in the lawsuit," reporters learned from authorities. "The family also entered into a stipulation in which it dismisses all claims against the defendants, namely Pasquotank County Sheriff Tommy Wooten II and three sheriff's deputies, as well as other potential claims arising from Brown's death."
The Pasquotank County Board of Commissioners approved the multimillion-dollar settlement, with some of the proceeds going to Brown's children.
"Andrew Brown Jr. was a devoted father who wanted his children to have the things he didn't," a statement from the legal team representing the family reads. "While no settlement could ever fill the hole his death left in their hearts, this agreement is about providing for those children's futures, securing their education, and ensuring their dreams didn't die with their father."
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