MEDIA RELEASE
CONTACT: Angie Grube
Public Information Director, SBI
agrube@ncsbi.gov
May 18, 2021
SBI Statement on District Attorney’s Decision Regarding the Pasquotank County Officer-Involved Shooting
(Raleigh, NC) - As announced earlier this morning, Pasquotank County District Attorney Andrew Womble has decided not to bring criminal charges against the law enforcement officers involved in the shooting death of Andrew Brown, Jr. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation’s (NC SBI) role in this case, as in all other criminal investigations, was to investigate the facts surrounding the incident and to then provide those facts to the prosecutor. During the course of this investigation, the NC SBI interviewed numerous witnesses, conducted crime scene analysis, collected and reviewed video footage, and engaged in other investigative activities in an attempt to conduct as thorough and complete an investigation as possible in a timely manner. After providing the facts to the District Attorney, it was his duty to apply the law to those facts to make the ultimate decision about whether criminal charges were appropriate. The NC SBI does not make any determinations as to whether criminal charges should be filed and/or determine if a person’s actions are justified or not. Furthermore, in its role as impartial fact-finder, it is not the NC SBI’s place to agree or disagree with any prosecutor’s decision regarding an investigation.
Even though a decision has now been made by the District Attorney, the NC SBI file is still not considered a public record under NCGS 132-1.4 and may only be released pursuant to a court order. Therefore, the NC SBI will not be releasing any written reports regarding the investigation. In addition, any decisions regarding the release of video footage will continue to be made by the court in accordance with NCGS 132-1.4A. As stated earlier, the NC SBI supports transparency to the greatest extent possible allowed by the law, as we think this serves the interests of the citizens of North Carolina.