Andrew Brown police killing: Lawsuit now alleges an officer’s weapon was altered after shooting and before admitted as evidence
Brown, a 42-year-old Black man, was killed on April 21 by Pasquotank County deputies in Elizabeth Metropolis, North Carolina, as they had been making an attempt to serve a warrant for his arrest.
The lawsuit alleges that Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Investigator Daniel Meads advised the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) throughout an investigation interview that he “altered the gun he used to shoot at Brown’s car whereas he was in a darkish room inside Brown’s home and earlier than his weapon was confiscated as proof.”
It’s unclear what the lawsuit means by “altered” nor the affect that will have on the investigation.
The go well with alleges Meads didn’t inform SBI investigators about this once they first interviewed him, and solely advised the investigators after it was seen on one other officer’s physique digicam footage that he had eliminated his journal inside Brown’s home.
Meads advised SBI interviewers “that he manipulated his journal whereas inside Brown’s home with a view to see what number of photographs he fired previous to surrendering his weapon as proof,” the lawsuit says.
A police detective from the city of Kitty Hawk, North Carlina, who was on the scene on the time advised SBI investigators in an interview that Meads requested him to shine a flashlight on him in Brown’s home so Meads “may rely the remaining rounds within the journal of his Glock-17,” based on the lawsuit.
The detective additionally advised SBI investigators Meads “was stressing out about what number of occasions he fired his weapon at Brown’s car,” the lawsuit says.
Meads’ lawyer didn’t reply to CNN’s request for remark.
Why the lawsuit was modified
Harry Daniels, a lawyer for the Brown property, mentioned the lawsuit was amended to incorporate particular allegations towards the officers concerned as a result of extra detailed data got here to mild after the authorized workforce gained entry to the SBI investigation recordsdata.
The SBI advised CNN that the recordsdata weren’t public report and wouldn’t enable CNN entry.
The lawsuit now names as defendants Meads, Pasquotank County Sheriff Tommy Wooten, Deputy Sheriff II Robert Morgan, Cpl. Aaron Lewellyn and Western Surety Bonding Firm, an insurance coverage firm for the division.
Attorneys for Morgan and Lewellyn didn’t reply to CNN’s request for remark, nor did Western Surety Bonding Firm. Wooten’s lawyer Christopher Geis mentioned he could be submitting a response.
“We will likely be submitting a solution to the allegations when the time comes, and that reply will converse for itself,” Geis mentioned.
The warrant wasn’t authorized, lawsuit says
The arrest warrant for Brown was illegal as a result of it was not signed by a decide, the lawsuit claims.
The go well with additionally says the 2 rating officers initially on the scene when police confronted Brown — Pasquotank County Sheriff’s sergeants — advised SBI investigators in every of their interviews that they didn’t fireplace their weapons as a result of they didn’t see any indication that Brown had a weapon. One in every of them advised investigators he didn’t suppose Brown’s automobile was going to hit him, the lawsuit says.
The go well with, which doesn’t title the district lawyer as a defendant, claims Womble knew or ought to have recognized about varied statements made within the SBI interviews cited within the lawsuit.
Womble didn’t reply to CNN’s request for remark.
The amended lawsuit makes allegations of assault and battery, wrongful dying and wrongful dying negligence / gross negligence towards all particular person defendants.
Plus, it makes allegations of assault and battery towards Wooten in his official capability as sheriff and allegations of extreme drive in violation of the Fourth Modification towards Meads, Lewellyn and Morgan.
The go well with requests a trial by jury and seeks greater than $30 million in compensatory and punitive damages.
