A man was fatally shot by a sheriff deputy in the North Carolina community of Elizabeth City on Wednesday. There are few details at this time, but the Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office says the shooting happened around 8:30 a.m. while the officers served a search warrant.
The man, identified by family members as 40-year-old Andrew Brown, reportedly got into his car and started to drive away, witnesses say. That’s when shots were fired by the officer. Neighbors say they heard anywhere from 6 to 8 shots, according to local station WAVY.
His family says Brown did not carry a gun and didn’t hurt anyone. He was the father of 10 children.
Further details about the shooting weren’t immediately released. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is taking over the investigation into the shooting, the sheriff’s office said.
Pasquotank County says it is closing its office buildings in downtown Elizabeth City at 1 p.m. Wednesday in response to the shooting.
“If the body cameras were on that information needs to be disseminated as quickly as possible in order to make sure justice is served,” said Keith Rivers, the president of the Pasquotank NAACP.
Rivers emphasized how the situation in tense and says law enforcement after the shooting acted like they were in “riot mode.”
The Elizabeth City Council also called an emergency meeting for Wednesday evening to discuss the incident.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
