A North Carolina prosecutor cautioned the family of a black man shot dead by cops last week that he’s “not f–ing going to be bullied” by them or their lawyers.
Bakari Sellers, an attorney for the family Andrew Brown, 42, said the tongue-lashing came as relatives were waiting to review bodycam footage of the deadly incident — only to be shown just 20 seconds of video.
Sellers claimed Pasquotank County Attorney R. Michael Cox even tried to keep lawyers for Brown’s family from viewing the footage.
“We went back and forth and I just want to say I’ve never been talked to like I was talked to in there,” Sellers told reporters outside the Pasquotank County Public Safety Center.
“I went to the back and I know that we’re live on the news around the world, so I will say that Mr. Cox told me, a grown black man, that he ‘was not f—ng’ going to be bullied,'” Sellers said. “So I walked out.”
“And I want you to know that the sheriff was very, very apologetic and diplomatic,” he added. “The sheriff wanted to make sure that the family saw the video, but it was the county attorney that gave us this back and forth.”
Bakari Sellers, an attorney for Andrew Brown Jr.’s family, speaking at Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office in Elizabeth City, North Carolina on April 26, 2021. EPA/JIM LO SCALZO“But let’s not focus just on the disrespect shown to me. Let’s focus on the disrespect shown to this family,” Sellers added. “One body cam, 20 seconds. An execution.”
In a statement earlier on Monday, Cox said that the law allows his office to redact or blur images in bodycam footage to preserve the integrity of an internal investigation.
Brown was shot and killed Wednesday by deputies and other law enforcement officers who were executing a warrant at his home in Elizabeth City.
Cox’s office did not respond to calls seeking comment on Monday.
