Activists push for federal investigation in Pasquotank as woman charged with hitting protesters appears in court
Civil rights advocates continued to press Thursday for a federal investigation into Pasquotank County law enforcement.
“Justice needs to be served in Pasquotank County,” said Keith Rivers, president of the local NAACP chapter.
Andrew Brown Jr., 42, was shot and killed on April 21 by deputies trying to arrest him on drug charges and serve a warrant to search his Elizabeth City home and car. Brown died of a gunshot wound to the back of his head and he tried to drive away.
District Attorney Andrew Womble has cleared the three deputies who fired their weapons during the encounter of any wrongdoing, saying the shooting was justified because Brown used his car as a deadly weapon and put their lives in danger.
Although the FBI is already investigating whether the deputies violated Brown's civil rights, the NAACP has called on U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to expand the probe and examine policing practices in Pasquotank County, as well as the other counties where Womble is the chief prosecutor.
“With the death of Andrew Brown, now it’s being exposed. It’s coming to light,” Rivers said. “The injustices that are being done in many of these other rural counties are not isolated, but this has become a pattern or practice.”
Activists plan to meet next Tuesday with Gov. Roy Cooper to seek his support before heading to Washington, D.C., and meet with members of Congress and U.S. Department of Justice officials, Rivers said.
“I just want to see justice served,” Evangelista-Yolanda Cooper said during a Thursday protest outside the Pasquotank County Courthouse.
Inside, Lisa Michelle O'Quinn, 41, of Elizabeth City, made her first court appearance on charges that she ran into a group of protesters with her car.
O'Quinn faces two felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and one count each of careless and reckless driving and unsafe movement. Police said she hit two women participating in a Monday night protest march with her car.
Elizabeth City police continue to investigate whether she should face any hate crimes charges as well. The two protesters are Black, and O'Quinn, who is white, has a history of making racist posts online.
“The protester that she hit, she was standing on the street, and the car just hit her,” Cooper said. “It just actually knocked her down, and the car kept on moving. So, it looked to me like she attempted to kill the lady."
During the brief hearing, O'Quinn asked that the court appoint an attorney for her. Activists then took issue with the fact that she was led in and out through the back of the courthouse – away from the crowd.
“Are we protecting some and persecuting others?” Rivers asked. “We hope that we get the same type of treatment when it comes to the people who were peacefully protesting and arrested.”
"We’ve been nonviolent. We’ve been marching peacefully through the streets, doing things legally, and she chose to act illegally," he added. "We want to make sure the attention shows she was the one that acted out of character."
