A North Carolina judge said video footage of the fatal police shooting of Andrew Brown Jr. would be kept from public view for at least a month but that Mr. Brown’s family members could watch the videos privately much sooner.
Mr. Brown, a 42-year-old Black man, was shot five times on April 21 by Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office deputies as they attempted to serve drug-related search and arrest warrants, authorities said. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has opened a civil-rights investigation into Mr. Brown’s shooting.
Superior Court Judge Jeff Foster said Wednesday that Mr. Brown’s family and one of their lawyers could watch video footage within 10 days from five cameras affixed to the officers’ uniforms and one dashboard camera. He said that they should have access to the videos as soon as they were edited to blur officers’ faces, nametags and other identifying details.
Judge Foster ruled that the video be released to the public no sooner than the next 30 days and no longer than 45 days.
A 2016 state law requires a judge to decide whether to publicly release any body camera footage, and set specific guidelines on how and when body-cam footage can be reviewed.
