Elizabeth City Councilman Says Deputy Urinated Outside Of Black Funeral Home
Elizabeth City, North Carolina Councilman Gabriel Adkins claims he has footage of a deputy urinating on his funeral home property.
After Adkins, who is Black, posted the footage on Facebook it quickly went viral.
He told The News & Observer that he believes the deputy did this due to how outspoken he has been about the Andrew Brown Jr. police shooting, “Since this case with Andrew Brown, I’ve been out protesting. I really feel like they are retaliating back against me. Maybe they didn’t know I had surveillance, but it’s a funeral home.”
The outlet also reports a spokesperson for the sheriff’s department was not available Monday for questions about the video.
Brown was shot and killed by deputies while they executed a search warrant on April 21. Witnesses say Brown was driving away at the time and deputies fired several rounds, killing him.
Seven deputies were placed on administrative leave and three others resigned due to what . The three who left their jobs were not directly involved in the shooting, says Pasquotank County Sheriff Tommy Wooten, according to WAVY.
Family attorney Chantel Cherry-Lassiter told reporters that shots were heard from the instant the clip started with Brown's car in his driveway and his hands on the steering wheel.
Cherry-Lassiter said Brown did not try to back away until after deputies rushed his car and opened fire, and he never posed any threat to deputies. "He finally decides to try to get away and he backs out, not toward officers at all," Cherry-Lassiter said.
Brown was shot five times, including in the back of the head, according to an independent autopsy commissioned by his family.
Protests in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, have continued for weeks, in which Gabriel Adkins has been a participant. The News & Observer reports Adkins is seeking legal advice and plans to press charges against the deputy who urinated on his property.
