CRIME
Unarmed Black Gay Man Shot by Police Offi cer in PA
Isaiah Brown is in critical condition and fi ghting for his life
BY TAT BELLAMY-WALKER
A 32-year-old Black gay
man is in critical condition
after being shot
multiple times by a police
offi cer in Spotsylvania County,
Virginia.
Isaiah Brown was on the phone
with a 911 dispatcher on April
21 due to a family dispute when
a Virginia sheriff’s deputy shot
him. According to 911 audio and
body camera footage released by
the Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Offi ce,
Brown was heard arguing with
his brother and repeatedly told the
dispatcher, “I’m about to kill my
brother.”
The dispatcher then asked
whether Brown had a gun, and he
did not give a clear answer. Shortly
after, Brown was walking outside
while holding a cordless house
phone when the dispatcher repeated
Isaiah Brown was shot multiple times by a police offi cer in Virginia.
the question of whether he had
a weapon, to which he responded,
“no.”
The dispatcher then told Brown
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to hold his hands up, according
to the audio transcript. According
to the tape, sirens were blaring in
the background and an unnamed
offi cer on the scene shouted,
“Drop the gun!” and “Show me
your hands now!”
That morning, Brown was struck
with bullets and was heard sighing
in pain. The offi cer was heard
reporting that Brown was shot and
says, “I’ve got you, man, I’ll pray for
you.” Virginia State Police told CNN
that Brown was unarmed during
the shooting.
Earlier that day, the same deputy
gave Brown a ride when his
car stopped working, the family’s
attorney, David Haynes, said in
a news conference, according to
Richmond.com. The deputy has
been placed on administrative
leave, according to the sheriff’s offi
ce.
Haynes urged the sheriff’s offi
ce to make all footage and audio
recordings related to the incident
public. Haynes also accused
the sheriff’s offi ce of downplaying
Brown’s medical condition. Although
Brown has survived the
incident, trauma surgeons told
the victim’s family that he still has
eight of the ten bullets lodged in
his body.
Leading up to the nearly fatal
encounter, the department took
several missteps, Haynes said.
For one, Haynes noted in a news
conference that the incident “was
clearly a failure of communication
between the dispatch and offi cers
that arrived on the scene.”
Hayne’s offi ce did not immediately
respond to Gay City News’ requests
for comment.
As the family demands answers
as to why their relative was shot,
LGBTQ groups are echoing a similar
sentiment.
David Johns, the executive director
of the National Black Justice
Coalition, a civil rights group,
condemned the persistent violence
against Black people from police
offi cers.
“Isaiah Brown should not be
hospitalized in critical condition,”
Johns said in a written statement.
“He should be living his life as he
has always lived it — in service to
others as an essential worker and
health aide.
All reporting indicates that
Brown complied with orders,
which included raising his arms
with his cell phone in hand, and
informing the 911 dispatcher he
was unarmed ahead of police arrival.”
Brown’s identity as a Black LGBTQ
person could make it even
harder to receive justice in the
case, Johns said.
“Still, Black LGBTQ+ people
continue to die by violence, often
unreported, perpetrated by police
offi cers and other state-sanctioned
actors who do not value Black Lives
Matter,” Johns added.
The news comes amid an ongoing
reckoning for racial justice and
police accountability in the US.
Since Derek Chauvin, a white former
Minneapolis police offi cer, was
found guilty on all charges in the
2020 murder of George Floyd, other
Black individuals have already
died at the hands of police.
The same day that 16-year-old
Ma’Khia Bryant was killed by a
police offi cer in Columbus, Ohio,
a report from ProPublica revealed
that cops would not face disciplinary
action in the death of Kawaski
Trawick, a queer Black man fatally
shot at home.
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