Update(April 26, 2021):  After the release of police body camera footage, attorneys for Andrew Brown Jr.'s family said the video shows the man was "executed."

Brown was shot on Wednesday by deputies while he was complying with officers' commands and had his hands on the steering wheel, according to the family's attorneys, Reuters reported.  

"They were shooting and saying 'Let me see your hands!' at the same time," Channel Cherry-Lassiter, an attorney for the family, said during a press briefing on Monday. "He wasn't reaching for anything, he wasn't touching anything, he wasn't throwing anything around."

"Let's be clear: this was an execution," she continued. 

Cherry-Lassiter said the family was only shown a 20-second clip. 

Ben Crump, who is also representing the family, said they were only shown a snippet of the footage that had been compiled from at least nine cameras.

"We do not feel we got transparency. We only saw a snippet of the video," Crump said. "They were going to show the whole video, then decided at the last minute they were going to redact it."

"They are trying to hide something," Crump said, according to CNN. "They don't want us to see everything."

While his family admitted that Brown attempted to drive away, they said the short video showed that he was being fired at before trying to escape. 

"His car was riddled with bullets, shooting him when he was not threatening them in any form or fashion," Cherry-Lassiter added. "There were shell casing before he even backed out. So they were shooting at him when he was sitting there with his hands on the steering wheel in the driveway."

While the details around Brown's death are limited, NBC News reports that he was killed while deputies were serving a warrant for his arrest. 

Original (April 26, 2021): A state of emergency has been declared in Elizabeth City, North Carolina and Pasquotank County as police prepare to release body camera footage of officers killing Andrew Brown Jr., a 42-year-old man who was shot on Wednesday during the execution of a search warrant.

The family was expecting to see the video on Monday morning, but are still waiting, WAVY reported. The footage will be released to the public once the family has viewed it.

"Show the tape," Brown's family attorney Harry Daniels said at a press conference on Monday. "If you ain't got nothing to hide, show the tape."

Attorney Ben Crump was also with the family on Monday to demand the release of the video. 

While the city remains on edge, Elizabeth City Mayor Bettie Parker said law enforcement expects a “period of civil unrest” after the release of the video. The emergency order has mobilized state and federal resources. However, the National Guard hasn't been requested at this time and there is no curfew or restrictions enforced. 

The details of the shooting haven't been released. According to witnesses, however, Brown was driving away when deputies fired several shots at him. According to CNN, first responders can be heard in dispatch audio as they reported a man who had gunshot wounds to the back. 

Officers had been watching the 42-year-old for the past year because of alleged drug activity, WAVY reported after obtaining a search warrant. However, the search warrant doesn't identify the items that were seized from Brown's home on the morning that he was killed. 

“He was a good guy. Everybody has their flaws. He was trying to get his kids back,” his brother Antron Brown said.

(2/2) Paperwork doesn’t say what deputies seized from Brown’s home the morning he was killed. Security is very tight in and around downtown. Lots of officers everywhere @WAVY_News

— Jason Marks (@jasonmarkswavy) April 26, 2021

Seven deputies were placed on administrative leave after the shooting. According to Pasquotank Sheriff Tommy Wooten, three of the officers who were not directly involved in the incident resigned. 

Mayor Parker encouraged demonstrators to remain peaceful as they continue to gather. 

“Our citizens and businesses must be protected from violence or damage,” the mayor said.

City officials said they plan to file a formal request with the Pasquotank County Sheriff's Office for the public release of the video.

"It seems likely that the video and audio footage will be released in the very near future. In order to ensure the safety of our citizens and their property, City officials realize there may be a potential period of unrest within the City following the public release of the footage," the city's proclamation stated.

North Carolina law states that police body camera footage can only be released to the public with a court order. 

"It's clear to us there is something bad on that bodycam video," Crump told CNN. "Transparency is essential."

andrew-brownElizabeth City, North CarolinaPolice shooting