ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. (AP) — The funeral for Andrew Brown Jr., a Black man shot and killed by deputies in North Carolina, brought calls for justice from the Rev. Al Sharpton and attorneys for the family.
Sharpton delivered a fiery eulogy that likened delays in the release of law enforcement footage to a con job done on the public at the invitation-only service Monday in a church in Elizabeth City.
Other speakers included civil rights attorney Ben Crump and the Rev. William Barber II, who leads the Poor People’s campaign.
The 42-year-old Brown was shot and killed on April 21 by deputies attempting to serve drug-related search and arrest warrants.
His death sparked days of protests in the city in rural northeastern North Carolina.
The family had been shown a 20-second-long clip of the incident, and told reporters Brown's car was stationary when the officers opened fire and he was not doing anything to provoke them.
Last week, a judge denied requests to release body camera video from Brown's death to the public. The district attorney told the judge he had seen the video and disagreed with the family, he argued Brown moved his car and made contact with law enforcement twice before shots could be heard on the video.
Demonstrators have marched in the streets in Elizabeth City for several nights since Brown's death, calling for the release of the video.
