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Judge blocks release of bodycam footage of Andrew Brown's killing

Andrew Brown Jr.

A North Carolina judge has blocked the release of the body camera footage associated with the killing of 42-year old Black man Andrew Brown Jr. to the public, saying only his family are allowed to see the video.

“The release at this time would create a serious threat to the fair, impartial and orderly administration of justice,” Superior Court Judge Jeff Foster said on Wednesday. “Confidentiality is necessary to protect either an active internal or criminal investigation or a potential internal or criminal investigation.”

The judge, however, allowed Brown's family and lawyer to see the footage, while asking the law enforcement to blur the faces or name tags of sheriff's deputies who were engaged in the shooting.

Foster also noted that he will reconsider the dossier in 30 to 45 days once the investigations are completed.

"The court will, in its discretion, consider at that time further release of the video based on the factors as they exist at that time," Foster said.

Brown died last Wednesday after he was shot in the back by Elizabeth City sheriff's deputies serving a search warrant.

The shooting took place a day after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murdering George Floyd, ending a highly-publicized trial that put a national spotlight on police violence against Black people in the US.

The incidents of violence targeted at people of color in the US have seen an alarming surge in recent years, which many blame on former US President Donald Trump's racist rhetoric.

The organized violence has not only continued under the new administration, but has become worse, say observers.


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