A black father of ten has been shot and killed by a sheriff's deputy in North Carolina

It came a day after a former Minneapolis police officer was convicted of murder for killing George Floyd and police in Ohio fatally shot a black teenager.

People stand in an intersection after the fatal police shooting of Andrew Brown in Elizabeth City, North Carolina

People stand in an intersection after the fatal police shooting of Andrew Brown in Elizabeth City, North Carolina Source: AP

An African-American father of 10 was shot dead by police during an investigation in North Carolina on Wednesday, local authorities said.

It comes amid a surge in concern and tension over law enforcement shootings of black Americans.

Pasquotank County Sheriff Tommy Wooten said one of his deputies fatally shot Andrew Brown in Elizabeth City near the Atlantic coast while a warrant against Mr Brown was being exercised.

"It's been a tragic day," Mr Wooten told reporters.

According to local television channel WAVY, citing witnesses, Mr Brown was shot while attempting to flee police in his car.
Mr Brown was 40 and the father of 10, the station said.

Mr Wooten pledged transparency in the investigation into the incident. He said they had yet to analyse footage from body cameras worn by the police officers involved.

He said the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation would handle the case.

It came a day after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder for killing George Floyd, a black man whose death last year spurred outrage across the US and world.

Less than an hour before that verdict came in, police in Ohio fatally shot a black teenager who appeared to be lunging at another person with a knife.

The high number of African-Americans killed by police has sparked calls for broad reforms in policing.


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Source: AFP, SBS


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