June 7 (UPI) — A North Carolina sheriff’s office has agreed to pay $3 million to settle a lawsuit brought against its deputies by the estate of Andrew Brown Jr., a Black man who was shot and killed by police last year.
The sheriff’s office for Pasquotank County, which is located near the North Carolina-Virginia border, and Brown’s estate announced the agreement in a joint statement Monday.
“I understand that there are no words I can say that will alleviate your pain. I do offer my most sincere sympathies and compassion to you as you continue to grieve the loss of Andrew Brown Jr.,” Pasquotank County Sheriff Tommy Wooten II said.
The agreement comes nearly a year after Brown’s family filed the lawsuit against local law enforcement officials for $30 million on accusations of “reckless disregard” for Brown’s life.
Brown, 42, was shot five times, including once in the back of his head, by police during an attempted arrest on April 21 of last year. Deputies were attempting to arrest him on drug charges, but opened fire as he tried to drive away from the scene.
Cameras worn by the arresting deputies showed Brown’s hands were on the steering wheel of his car when the shooting began.
Brown’s family filed the lawsuit against nine officials, including Wooten, after North Carolina District Attorney Andrew Womble declined to bring charges against those involved in the shooting.
According to the state, Pasquotank County’s insurance policy will cover $2 million of the settlement with $1 million to be paid by a special appropriation approved by the county’s board of commissioners.
Lawyers for Brown’s family said the money will go to his children as heirs to his estate.
“While no settlement could ever fill the hole this death left in their hearts, this agreement is about providing for those children’s futures, securing their education and ensuring their dreams didn’t die with their father,” the family’s attorneys said in a statement.
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