Warrant: Drug buys recorded weeks before Black man shot dead
New court documents say a search warrant being served when deputies shot and killed a Black man in North Carolina says that investigators used information from an informant, including recordings of drug buys
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A search warrant being served when deputies shot and killed a Black man in North Carolina says that investigators used information from an informant, including recordings of drug buys, according to court documents released Monday.
The search warrant has been cited as the reason that deputies came to Andrew Brown Jr.’s house last Wednesday. Pasquotank County Sheriff Tommy Wooten II has said that deputies shot and killed Brown while serving drug-related search and arrest warrants but released few other details. An eyewitness account and emergency scanner traffic indicates that Brown was driving away and may have been shot in the back.
The search warrant released Monday offers new details. The warrant obtained by the Pasquotank County sheriff’s office and signed by a local judge said that an investigator in nearby Dare County was told by the informant that the person had been purchasing crack cocaine and other drugs for over a year from Brown. The warrant said that in March, local narcotics officers used the informant to conduct controlled purchases of methamphetamine and cocaine on two separate occasions. The warrant says both buys were recorded.
Previously disclosed arrest warrants from Dare County included charges of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine against Brown.
His shooting death has prompted days of protests, with demonstrators calling for transparency. Seven deputies are on leave over the shooting, and the State Bureau of Investigation is probing it.