Andrew Brown Jr: Deputy Admits To ‘Altering’ His Gun After Shooting
An updated lawsuit filed by the family of Andrew Brown Jr., the Elizabeth City, N.C., man who died in a law enforcement shooting, reveals that a North Carolina deputy involved in his killing had admitted to removing the remaining bullets from his gun after firing at least seven shots at him.
According to Durham, N.C., station WTVD, the complaint points to a report from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, stating that investigator Daniel Meads was the first to fire on Brown while executing an arrest and search warrants for drug-related crimes.
"The evidence speaks for itself. They murdered Andrew. They murdered him," Lillie Brown Clark, Andrew Brown's aunt, said according to the news station.
The lawsuit alleges that the officers involved were aware that Brown was likely unarmed during the encounter, which is why two of the deputies on the scene did not choose not to open fire as Brown drove away. Meads, as well as Deputy Robert Morgan and Corp. Aaron Lewellyn are co-defendants in the case and the only officers to shoot at Brown, who was ultimately hit five times in the arm and once in the head.
The lawsuit claims Meads was allegedly “stressing out about how many times he fired his weapon at Brown’s vehicle” and admitted to investigators he altered his weapon before it was confiscated as evidence. It also states Meads failed to mention the alteration during his first interview with the SBI, and only made the admission after he learned his actions were caught on another officer’s body cam.
“In fact, while in route to the PCSO after the incident, Meads further manipulated his weapon by remov[ing] all his bullets from his magazine. According to Defendant Meads, he only wanted to count his bullets,” the complaint states.
RELATED: Andrew Brown Jr.'s Family To File Civil Rights Lawsuit Over His Shooting Death By Law Enforcement
Brown’s family says the district attorney was fully aware of Meads’ admission but still declined to pursue criminal charges against him. Pasquotank County District Attorney Andrew Womble had announced the involved deputies were justified in the killing.
Brown’s family filed a $30 million civil rights lawsuit against Meads, Morgan, Lewellyn, and Sheriff Tommy S. Wotten in July.
