Yahoo News – by Dylan Stableford
A North Carolina police officer was charged with voluntary manslaughter on Saturday after police say he fatally shot an unarmed man who had apparently just survived a car crash in Charlotte and was looking for help.
The victim, Jonathan Ferrell, a 24-year-old former Florida A&M University football player, was shot multiple times and pronounced dead at the scene early Saturday morning.
The 27-year-old officer, Randall Kerrick, has turned himself into police late Saturday. He was released on a $50,000 bond.
“The shooting of Mr. Ferrell was excessive,” the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said in a statement. “Our investigation has shown that Officer Kerrick did not have a lawful right to discharge his weapon during this encounter.”
According to police, Ferrell crashed his vehicle into the woods, climbed out of his car and walked a half-mile to the nearest house. He began “banging on the door viciously,” Charlotte-Mecklenburg Chief Rodney Monroe said.
“It was quite possible he was seeking assistance based on his accident,” Monroe said.
But the woman who answered the door thought Ferrell was a burglar and called police shortly after 2:30 a.m. to report an attempted break-in.
Kerrick and two other responding officers surrounded Ferrell, who “immediately charged” at the police, Monroe said. One officer tried unsuccessfully to subdue Ferrell with a taser. Kerrick then fired his weapon “several times.”
“He immediately charged toward the three officers, one in particular,” Monroe said. “That officer in particular fired his weapon several times, striking the individual multiple times.”
“It’s with heavy hearts and significant regrets it’s come to this,” Monroe added. “Our hearts go out to the Ferrell family and many members of the CMPD family.”
According to the Charlotte Observer, police said initially that Kerrick’s actions were “appropriate and lawful.” But a subsequent investigation found the officer, who joined the police department in 2011, had “violated the law regarding voluntary manslaughter.” Under North Carolina law, voluntary manslaughter is defined as killing without malice using “excessive force” in exercising “imperfect self-defense,” the paper said.
Monroe said there was no evidence Ferrell threatened the woman. Alcohol did not appear a factor in the crash, he added.
The two other officers involved in the incident were placed on paid administrative leave.
http://news.yahoo.com/ferrell-kerrick-police-unarmed-shooting-charlotte-191520307.html
Beat me to it, NC. 🙂
I sent this one and a piece from CNN that said he was running to the cops for help.
Yep. This story makes no sense whatsoever. If your car broke down, wouldn’t you be asking the police for help and not charging at them unless they were threatening you or playing the “guilty until proven innocent” bullshit on this guy with weapons probably drawn on him and all?
It’s funny, when a police shoots an unarmed man a half a dozen times, it is called an “accident” or an “excessive discharge”, but when a citizen shoots a cop, (armed or unarmed) it is called “murder”.
Am I missing something here? How is that different? I don’t get it.
And believe it or not, I had you both beat on this one, but I dropped the ball. I saw it on Yahoo news this morning and was going to send it in, but I went to BIN instead of sending this one right away, and by the time I finished sending Henry everything I could from there, and went back to Yahoo, I couldn.t find the damn thing. RLMAO!!! 🙂
Bah! You’re both just jealous because I found it first. Don’t worry. I forgive you. lol
Bollocks, as the Brits would say. 🙂
Look at his photo. You just know someone in his genetic family knew someone else in his genetic family just a little too well.
Lol…I like your fancy way of saying his Daddy married his Sister.
Hahaha!
I bet he can play Dueling Banjos.
Shoot first, and get a paid vacation later.
Hahaha! I’m sorry. It’s funny cause it’s true, as sad as it is.