Andrew Brown shooting was 'justified': prosecutor

Brown, 42, was shot as he resisted arrest and tried to speed off in his car in a way that endangered officers during the morning raid at his home on April 21 in Elizabeth City, a riverfront community where just over half of the roughly 18,000 residents are Black.

"Mr. Brown's death was justified," Womble told reporters at a news briefing in which he also showed video taken from the body-worn cameras of the Pasquotank County sheriff's deputies at the scene.

Videos showed the deputies arriving to find Brown sitting in his car, talking on the phone. They surrounded the car, ordering him to show his hands and attempting to open the car door.

Brown rapidly backed up, pulling a deputy over the car hood.

He continued to retreat until his path was blocked by his home, and then drove forward toward the officers. The officers repeatedly shouted at him to stop, but he ignored their commands and drove directly toward the same deputy who had been pulled over the hood.

Police began firing at the car: one shot went through Brown's windshield, and another five entered the car's trunk and rear window.

Brown suffered two gunshot wounds: a non-lethal shot to the shoulder and a fatal shot to the back of his head.

Womble said Brown was known to officers as having a long history of arrests and convictions dating back to 1995, including assault with a deadly weapon.

Before heading to Brown's home, officers were told that Brown had a history of resisting arrest or barricading himself against police, Womble said.

A chunk of crystal meth - an illegal stimulant - about as big as "a 50-cent piece," was found in Brown's car, Womble said. No weapons were found on Brown or in the car.