Roll of Honor
Charles Douglas "Charlie" Brown, Jr.
Incident
Deputy Charlie Brown was shot and killed during a confrontation with a suspect in Williamston on West Main Street at 9:15 am.
Deputy Brown, along with other deputies and officers from the Williamston Police Department, had responded to reports of a man walking down the street firing a long gun. The responding units located the man in the rear of a residence, and several officers, including Deputy Brown, took cover to make their way to the rear of the house. Deputy Brown was making his way from one point of cover to another when the suspect appeared from behind the residence with an assault rifle at his side. Deputy Brown yelled for the suspect to drop the weapon. The suspect fired several shots, and one bullet hit Deputy Brown in the side under his arm where his body armor does not protect.
The other officers returned fire, killing the suspect. Deputy Brown was transported to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds a short time later.
Deputy Brown was a United States Marine Corps Desert Storm veteran and had served in the Narcotics Unit and the K9 Unit with the Martin County Sheriff's Office and Williamston Police Department for 15 years. He previously served with the North Carolina Department of Corrections and was a member of the PERT team as a sniper.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, two daughters, parents, and brother.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NC-DB805A2C- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Deputy Sheriff Brown gave the Martin County Sheriff's Office 15 years.
Thank you for your service to the Williamston community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Charles Douglas "Charlie" Brown, Jr. served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Deputy Sheriff Charles Douglas "Charlie" Brown, Jr. is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In NC, 385 of 664 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 58% of this state's fallen. That is 3.8 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
At Martin County Sheriff's Dept., 2 of 2 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Charles Douglas "Charlie" Brown, Jr.'s cause is highlighted.
How Charles Douglas "Charlie" Brown, Jr. Compares
Offender Outcome
Shot and killed
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Charles Douglas "Charlie" Brown, Jr. is highlighted in Dec.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Charles Douglas "Charlie" Brown, Jr. was killed by rifle; sks.
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Martin County Sheriff's Dept. are honored on badge.nw.
