Prosecutor says deputies justified in shooting man

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina sheriff's deputies were justified in their fatal shooting of a black man in April because the man ignored their commands and drove his car directly at one of them before they fired any shots, a prosecutor said Tuesday.

Andrew Brown Jr.'s actions caused deputies to believe it was necessary to use deadly force, District Attorney Andrew Womble told a news conference. He said he would not be filing criminal charges against any of the deputies, who were trying to take Brown into custody while serving drug-related warrants at his house.

"I find that the facts of this case clearly illustrate the officers who used deadly force on Andrew Brown Jr. did so reasonably and only when a violent felon used a deadly weapon to put their lives in danger," Womble said, referring to Brown's car. He added that he found that "Brown's actions and conduct were indeed dangerous by the time of the shooting . ... Brown posed an immediate threat to the safety of the officers and others."

The prosecutor said he would not release bodycam video of the confrontation between Brown and the law enforcement officers, but he played portions of the video during the news conference that were broadcast by multiple news outlets.

The shooting on April 21 sparked protests over multiple weeks by demonstrators calling for the public release of the body camera video.