A sheriff’s deputy in Virginia was indicted on a felony charge related to the shooting of Isiah Brown, a black man who called 911 for help at his home.
According to NBC News, sheriff deputy David Turbyfill was charged with felony reckless handling of a firearm for shooting. The charge against the deputy is usually a misdemeanor, but officials said he was charged with a felony because of the serious injuries Brown suffered.
Brown was shot at his home on April 21 after calling 911 for help. A portion of the 911 call released shortly after the shooting revealed that Turbyfill mistook Brown’s portable phone for a gun.
Brown mentioned a gun to the dispatcher and allegedly made a comment about killing his brother after the dispatcher told him his complaint didn’t merit a 911 call.
Brown later admitted that he didn’t have a gun and state police confirmed they didn’t find one on him, but the deputy made comments such as “drop the gun” and “stop coming toward me” before firing his weapon.
Brown’s attorney David E. Haynes confirmed that he was shot 10 times by the deputy with eight of the bullets found in his body.
