Black man shot dead by police serving warrant
State officials in North Carolina are investigating the fatal police shooting of a Black man on Wednesday, according to authorities and local media reports.
The shooting unfolded Wednesday morning in Elizabeth City, a community where half the population identifies as African-American, near North Carolina's coastal border with Virginia.
Authorities identified the victim as 40-year-old father, Andrew Brown, Jr., whose relatives told local media that he was near his home in a car at the time of the shooting.
County Sheriff Tommy Wooten said deputies shot him after trying to serve him a search warrant, without adding further details.
"It's been a tragic day that started around 830am during a search warrant. Andrew Brown Jr. was fatally wounded during the search warrant."
Wooten added that all deputies at the scene were wearing body cameras, and that the deputy who fired the gun has been placed on leave.
Law enforcement officials did not say whether Brown was armed at the time or whether he was considered a threat to the officers.
The shooting comes a day after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murdering George Floyd, an event that sparked anti-racism protests worldwide.
As news of the North Carolina shooting spread, local media showed protesters beginning to gather, as the City Council called an emergency meeting to discuss the case and a possible curfew.
