Andrew Brown Jr. died from a fatal gunshot to the back of head, his relatives and family attorneys said Tuesday, citing the results of an independent autopsy. The finding bolsters the claim that Brown was “executed,” the family said.
“It was a kill shot to the back of the head” that cost Brown his life, family attorney Ben Crump said Tuesday as his office released the results.
Brown’s family commissioned the autopsy after Pasquotank County, N.C., sheriff’s deputies shot and killed Brown, a 42-year-old Black man, last Wednesday while carrying out search and arrest warrants at his home in Elizabeth City.
On Tuesday, the FBI confirmed it has opened a civil rights investigation into Brown’s death to determine whether federal laws were violated.
Elizabeth City Mayor Bettie Parker announced a curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., starting Tuesday.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper called for a special prosecutor to handle the case.
The autopsy found a total of five bullet wounds to Brown’s body. The first shots went through the front windshield of Brown’s car, attorney Wayne Kendall said, adding that Brown suffered four bullet wounds to his right arm.
Kendall described those initial injuries as “glancing” wounds. He said Brown was still able to turn his car away from the deputies before being shot in the lower part of his skull.
After being shot, Brown lost control of his car and crashed into a tree, Crump said. The fatal shot was fired from “intermediate” range, the autopsy report said. It noted that the bullet was left lodged in Brown’s brain.
