The Democratic challenger in this fall’s Pasquotank County sheriff’s race continues to maintain that Elizabeth City police should have been involved in serving drug-related warrants on Andrew Brown Jr. last year, and the fact they weren’t was a “setup for disaster.”
But Sheriff Tommy Wooten said Wednesday that officers with the Elizabeth City Police Department were involved in planning the operation that ended with the fatal shooting of Brown in front of his house on April 21, 2021.
kAm%9C66 !2DBF@E2?< D96C:77’D 56AFE:6D 7:C65 E96:C H62A@?D 2E qC@H? 2D 96 2EE6>AE65 E@ 5C:G6 9:D 42C 2H2J 7C@> 9:D 5C:G6H2J] p DE2E6 2FE@ADJ C6A@CE D9@H65 qC@H? 5:65 7C@> 2 “A6?6EC2E:?8 8F?D9@E H@F?5 @7 E96 9625” 2?5 E92E 96 DF776C65 @?6 @E96C 8F?D9@E E@ E96 2C>]k^Am
kAm%96 5:DEC:4E 2EE@C?6J =2E6C 564=:?65 E@ 492C86 E96 E9C66 56AFE:6D[ CF=:?8 qC@H?’D D9@@E:?8 H2D ;FDE:7:65 3642FD6 96 925 5C:G6? 9:D G69:4=6 E@H2C5 E96 56AFE:6D]k^Am
kAm$6G6C2= s2C6 r@F?EJ D96C:77’D 56AFE:6D 2=D@ H6C6 A2CE @7 E96 =2H 6?7@C46>6?E E62> D6CG:?8 E96 H2CC2?ED 2E qC@H?’D C6D:56?46 3FE ?@?6 7:C65 E96:C H62A@?D 5FC:?8 E96 :?4:56?E]k^Am
kAmt55:6 vC292>[ 2 D6C862?E H:E9 E96 4:EJ A@=:46 56A2CE>6?E H9@ :D 492==6?8:?8 (@@E6? :? E96 }@G6>36C 6=64E:@?[ C6A62E65 (65?6D52J 9:D 2DD6CE:@? E92E “:7 x 925 366? D96C:77 E92E p?5C6H qC@H? :?4:56?E H@F=5 ?@E 92G6 92AA6?65]”k^Am
kAmvC292> D2:5 E92E 6I64FE:?8 E96 D62C49 H2CC2?E 2E qC@H?’D C6D:56?46 H:E9@FE :?4=F5:?8 4:EJ A@=:46 @77:46CD H9@ H@F=5 92G6 <?@H? qC@H? — 2?5 366? <?@H? 3J qC@H? — H2D “2 D6EFA 7@C 5:D2DE6C]”k^Am
kAm(96? @77:46CD 2CC:G65 2E qC@H?’D 9@FD6 E92E >@C?:?8[ qC@H? “D9@F=5 92G6 D66? D@>6 7246D E92E 96 H2D 72>:=:2C H:E9[” vC292> D2:5]k^Am
kAmpD<65 (65?6D52J 23@FE E96 @A6C2E:@? E92E C6DF=E65 :? qC@H?’D 562E9[ (@@E6? 564=:?65 E@ 2?DH6C >@DE BF6DE:@?D[ DE2E:?8 :E H2D “86EE:?8 2 =:EE=6 E@@ 4=@D6 :?E@ E96 7656C2= :?G6DE:82E:@?]”k^Am
kAm%96 uqx’D 7:6=5 @77:46 :? r92C=@EE6 4@?7:C>65 =2DE J62C E92E :E :D :?G6DE:82E:?8 E@ 56E6C>:?6 :7 qC@H?’D 4:G:= C:89ED H6C6 G:@=2E65 5FC:?8 E96 :?4:56?E]k^Am
kAm(@@E6? 5:5 D2J[ 9@H6G6C[ E92E E96 2DD6CE:@? “E92E 92D 366? 7=@2E:?8 2C@F?5” E92E @77:46CD 7C@> E96 tr!s H6C6 ?@E :?G@=G65 :? E96 @A6C2E:@? 2E qC@H?’D 9@FD6 :D 2 “72=D6 DE2E6>6?E]”k^Am
kAm“%96J H6C6 :?G@=G65[” (@@E6? D2:5]k^Am
kAm~77:46CD 7C@> E96 4:EJ A@=:46 56A2CE>6?E H6C6 :?G@=G65 :? A=2??:?8 E96 @A6C2E:@? 2E qC@H?’D 9@FD6 3FE H6C6 ?@E AC6D6?E E96 >@C?:?8 :E H2D 42CC:65 @FE[ (@@E6? D2:5] w6 D2:5 96 5@6D?’E <?@H 7@C DFC6 H9J tr!s @77:46CD H6C6 ?@E AC6D6?E 3FE 92D 962C5 F?@77:4:2==J E92E @77:46CD’ D4965F=6D H6C6 2=E6C65 3642FD6 @7 DE277:?8 D9@CE286D :? E96 56A2CE>6?E]k^Am
kAmpD<65 23@FE (@@E6?’D 2DD6CE:@? 23@FE 4:EJ @77:46CD’ :?G@=G6>6?E :? A=2??:?8 E96 @A6C2E:@? 2E qC@H?’D C6D:56?46[ vC292> :?D:DE65 :E H2D DE:== 2 >:DE2<6 E@ AC@4665 H:E9@FE tr!s @77:46CD A2CE:4:A2E:?8]k^Am
kAm“%96> ?@E 36:?8 E96C6 DE:== >256 2 5:776C6?46[” vC292> D2:5]k^Am
kAmvC292> 2=D@ 282:? C2:D65 E96 :DDF6 @7 “?@\<?@4<” H2CC2?ED E9:D H66<[ D2J:?8 96 H:== 6?5 E96 AC24E:46 :7 96’D 6=64E65 D96C:77]k^Am
kAmp44@C5:?8 E@ E96 {682= x?7@C>2E:@? x?DE:EFE6’D 567:?:E:@?[ 2 ?@\<?@4< H2CC2?E “:D 2 D62C49 H2CC2?E 2FE9@C:K:?8 A@=:46 @77:46CD E@ 6?E6C 46CE2:? AC6>:D6D H:E9@FE 7:CDE <?@4<:?8 2?5 2??@F?4:?8 E96:C AC6D6?46 @C AFCA@D6 AC:@C E@ 6?E6C:?8 E96 AC6>:D6D]”k^Am
kAmx? 2 42>A2:8? AC6DD C6=62D6[ vC292> D2:5 E96 “7:CDE 6I64FE:G6 @C56C” 96’== :DDF6 :7 6=64E65 D96C:77 “H:== 36 DE@AA:?8 E96 AC24E:46 @7 }@ z?@4< (2CC2?ED]”k^Am
kAm“x H:== ?@E 2==@H E96 $(p% E62> E@ 6I64FE6 >:?@C 5CF8 @776?D6 H2CC2?ED[” 96 2=D@ D2:5] “x H:== 567:?6 ?6H C@=6D[ AC@E@4@=D 2?5 AC@465FC6D 7@C E96 $(p% E62>] (6 42? D6CG6 @FC 4@FCE 2?5 4:G:= A2A6CD :? 2 >2??6C E92E :D D276[ D>2CE[ C6DA64E7F= 2?5 5:8?:7:65]”k^Am
kAmqFE (@@E6? D2:5 (65?6D52J E96 D96C:77’D @77:46 A@=:4J 2=C625J 32CD E96 FD6 @7 ?@\<?@4< H2CC2?ED]k^Am
kAmx? 2 DE2E6>6?E A@DE65 @? E96 56A2CE>6?E’D u2463@@< A286[ (@@E6? D2:5 9:D 56A2CE>6?E “5@6D ?@E A6C>:E E96 D6CG:46 @7 ‘?@ <?@4<’ D62C49 H2CC2?ED] xE’D 2=D@ 2 A2CE @7 E96 @77:46’D A@=:4J 2?5 AC@465FC6 >2?F2= E92E E96 @77:46 5@6D ?@E 2FE9@C:K6 2?5 DEC:4E=J AC@9:3:ED E96 D6CG:46 @7 ‘?@ <?@4<’ D62C49 H2CC2?ED]”k^Am
kAm(@@E6? 25565[ “(9:=6 }@ z?@4< $62C49 (2CC2?ED 2C6 =682= :? E96 DE2E6 @7 }@CE9 r2C@=:?2[ 2 D62C49 H2CC2?E @7 E92E ?2EFC6 :D C2C6=J FD65 7@C C62D@?D @7 D276EJ E@ 3@E9 E96 AF3=:4 2?5 =2H 6?7@C46>6?E @77:46CD]”k^Am
kAmx?7@C>65 (65?6D52J E92E (@@E6? 4=2:>D ?@\<?@4< H2CC2?ED 2C6 ?@E 36:?8 FD65 3J E96 !2DBF@E2?< $96C:77’D ~77:46[ vC292> D2:5[ “x 42?’E DA62< @? H92E 9:D A@=:4J :D]”k^Am
kAmq@E9 42?5:52E6D C6:E6C2E65 E96:C 4@>>:E>6?E E@ AF3=:4 D276EJ]k^Am
kAm(@@E6? D2:5 “AF3=:4 D276EJ E@ 3@E9 E96 56AFE:6D 2?5 E96 4:E:K6?D H6 D6CG6 2C6 A2C2>@F?E E@ E9:D @77:46]”k^Am
kAmvC292> 6IAC6DD65 2 D:>:=2C 4@>>:E>6?E] “|J E@A AC:@C:EJ :D E@ >2<6 DFC6 E92E 2== @7 E96 @77:46CD >2<6 :E 9@>6 D276=J[ 2D H6== 2D E96 A6@A=6 E92E H6 C6AC6D6?E[” 96 D2:5]k^Am
