Virginia Deputy Shoots Unarmed Black Man 10 Times, Mistakes Phone For Gun

An unarmed Black man from Virginia was shot multiple times outside his home Wednesday by a sheriff's deputy responding to the man's 911 call, Virginia State Police (VSP) said.

The deputy from the Spotsylvania Sheriff's Office had given 32-year-old Isaiah Brown a ride home prior to the incident after the latter's car broke down at a gas station on Route 3, WRC-TV reported. The deputy, who has not been identified, then returned an hour later to respond to a report of a domestic disturbance and shot Brown while the latter was on the phone with 911, state police said.

A video was released late Friday that included a statement from Sheriff Roger Harris, the transcribed 911 call and body camera footage of the incident.

Brown told the 911 dispatcher he was about to kill his brother, adding, "Somebody needs to come here real quick." When asked if he had a gun, Brown initially said, "Yup." But he later told the dispatcher he had no gun or weapon when asked again.

In the video, sirens can be heard as Brown continued the call outside and encountered the responding deputy.

"Show me your hands now. Show me your hands. Drop the gun," the deputy told Brown. He radioed in, "He's got a gun to his head," before warning Brown not to approach him.

"Stop walking towards me, stop walking towards me. Stop, stop." the deputy shouted, before pulling the trigger at least seven times.

Brown received 10 bullet wounds and was put in intensive care, WSET reported.

The call suggested the deputy who discharged his weapon mistook Brown's cordless house phone for a gun. The deputy can then be heard attempting to give Brown medical aid.

"Hey stay with me, don't leave me," the deputy said after instructing Brown's brother to grab a medical kit from the backseat of his car. He pointed out that Brown was "still breathing."

A spokesperson for the VSP also confirmed to CNN that Brown was unarmed at the time of the incident.

Brown's family told WRC-TV that they have no idea why the deputy discharged his weapon. "The officer just started shooting at him for no reason. I didn't hear a warning shot. All I heard was 'Hands up!' one time. And all he had was his phone, so I know he put his hands up," Brown's brother, Tazmon, said.

David Haynes, an attorney for Brown's family, said in a statement, "The deputy in question made multiple, basic policing errors and violated established protocols. The deputy was situated nearly 50 feet from Isaiah, was never threatened and should not have discharged his weapon."

Sheriff Harris said the deputy has been put on administrative leave pending an investigation into the incident. He explained the transcript and the body cam footage were released on the advice of a special prosecutor assigned to the case.

The Virginia State Police was contacted to investigate the incident.