Judge Rules Video from NC OIS Cannot be Released
The decision came after the Pasquotank County district attorney opposed the public release of the video, saying the shooting was justified because he said Brown hit officers with his car be-fore they fired at him.
The body-camera footage of Pasquotank County, NC, sheriff's deputies fatally shooting Andrew Brown Jr., a in Elizabeth City will not be released to the public but will be disclosed to Brown’s family, a judge ruled Wednesday, following days of outcry and protests.
North Carolina law requires a judge to permit release of law enforcement videos.
Superior Court Judge Jeff Foster ruled against a petition filed by a coalition of media outlets, including The Washington Post, to release the footage of the fatal police encounter involving Brown, 42, on April 21. Foster said the decision was based on the release of the video potentially affecting a trial if one occurs and possibly jeopardizing the safety of the deputies in question.
The decision came after the Pasquotank County district attorney opposed the public release of the video, saying the shooting was justified because he said Brown hit officers with his car be-fore they fired at him.
Foster ruled the video from four body cameras would be disclosed to Brown’s son, Khalil Fere-bee, and the rest of his immediate family and one attorney within 10 days. The video, Foster said, would “blur or redact all facial features and nametags” of the officers.
The judge concluded that the full video would be released to the family, but not for 30 to 45 days, which, he said, is when the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is expected to complete its probe of the shooting.
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