Deputy cleared in Brunswick County shooting during child pornography investigation

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Four months after a man shot himself in the head at the same time a Brunswick County Sheriff’s Deputy fired a shot, the investigation into the officer-involved shooting is over.

The District Attorney’s Office released a news release saying Maj. Laurie Watson’s actions were reasonable, rational, and justified.

The news release from District Attorney Jon David reveals the following summary of what happened that morning.

On March 7, the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office was helping Homeland Security serve a federal search warrant relating to downloads of child pornography at the home of Bradley Barrett Lewis in Ash.

Investigators went to Lewis’s home on Little River Road but he had already left for work.

They found Lewis in the parking lot of his job and told him about the search warrant. Lewis, who was not under arrest, voluntarily drove toward his home with officers following behind him. As Lewis approached his home, several law enforcement officers were standing near his driveway. Lewis stopped in the road.

Maj. Watson and Homeland Security walked up to the driver’s side of Lewis’s vehicle. Watson asked Lewis to pull forward but he did not. Lewis admitted to having a gun in his vehicle. Watson asked Lewis to place his hands on the steering wheel, which Lewis initially did, only to remove them soon after.

When Watson asked him again to place his hands on the steering wheel, Lewis hunched over and reached toward his front waistband. Lewis drew a handgun from the area of his waistband and raised the firearm with his right hand. At that time, Maj. Watson drew her weapon. Several officers saw Lewis raise the gun, place it to the side of his head and fire a single round.

Fearing for her own safety, as well as the safety of the HSI officer, Maj. Watson fired a single shot from her own weapon.  Multiple officers would later state that the two shots occurred “almost simultaneously.” Lewis suffered a single gunshot wound to the head and died in the hospital several days later.

The District Attorney says evidence concludes that prior to firing her weapon, Maj. Watson reasonably believed that the use of deadly force was necessary to defend herself and HSI from the imminent use of deadly physical force. After refusing to put his hands on the steering wheel, Lewis raised his firearm in a quick fashion and pointed it in the direction of Watson and HSI.

The District Attorney says the fact that Lewis shot himself is immaterial, as in the split-second prior to shooting himself, Lewis could have easily fired his weapon on the officers. Furthermore, the same bullet that ultimately killed Lewis could have struck either officer after exiting Lewis’s head. Therefore, after considering all of the evidence, it is his opinion that  Maj. Watson’s actions were justified and the need for deadly force was authorized by law.

“I recently met with Mr. Lewis’s family to discuss my decision that Maj. Watson will not be charged with any criminal offense. Additionally, in the interests of transparency and accountability, I have made our complete investigative file available for inspection by the civil attorney of Mr. Lewis’s family, should they choose to retain one,” David states in the release. “Finally, while several potential criminal charges could have resulted from the execution of the search warrant in this case, no such charges will be initiated against Mr. Lewis, as all criminal charges are abated by his death.”