A North Carolina Sheriff’s office announced a $3 million settlement in the lawsuit filed by the family of Andrew Brown Jr., according to The Associated Press. Brown Jr. was shot and killed in his car by sheriff deputies and his killing led to days of protests in northern North Carolina.
Brown Jr. was shot and killed while trying to flee Pasquotank County sheriff’s deputies while they served a drug-related warrant, reports say. The district attorney said as the officers surrounded the vehicle, they fired shots at him because he tried to hit them with the car. Family lawyers argued the body camera footage showed Brown sitting stationary in the vehicle. An independent autopsy found he was shot five times and died due to a bullet to the back of his head.
The family filed a $30 million civil rights lawsuit last year alleging the officers showed “intentional and reckless disregard of Andrew’s life.”
More on the settlement from AP News:
The settlement was approved by the Pasquotank County Board of Commissioners. It includes a special $1 million appropriation to go along with $2 million from the county’s insurance policy, which was supplied by the North Carolina Counties Liabilities Pool, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office provided to The Associated Press. That amount is at the limit of the policy.
The county’s payment resolves potential liability against the defendants and any individual officers who were either named or could be named as defendants in the lawsuit, the news release said. The family also entered into a stipulation in which it dismisses all claims against the defendants, namely Pasquotank County Sheriff Tommy Wooten II and three sheriff’s deputies, as well as other potential claims arising from Brown’s death, the news release said.
Per AP’s report, Brown’s children will share the proceeds of the settlement. A statement from the family attorneys noted the agreement will be dedicated toward the children’s educations and ensuring “their dreams didn’t die with their father.”
No settlement could stand in place of their loss. Nowadays, more agreements have been reached instead of police accountability.