A grand jury has indicted Officer Randall Kerrick of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department on a charge of voluntary manslaughter in the September 14 shooting death of Jonathan Ferrell, according to a statement from state Attorney General Roy Cooper.
The grand jury heard evidence from the state Bureau of Investigation and the police department.
“With the strength of the evidence in this case, we’re not surprised,” Charles Monnett, an attorney for Ferrell’s family, said about Monday’s indictment.
Police in North Carolina shot and killed a man running toward them Saturday morning — but he may have just been looking for help after a car wreck.
He was unarmed.
Police now believe Ferrell was seeking assistance after crashing his car.
The crash was so severe that authorities now believe Ferrell had to climb out of the back window, affiliate WBTV reported.
He ran to the closest house for help.
The woman inside thought it was her husband.
“To her surprise, it was an individual that she did not know or recognize,” Monroe told WBTV. “She immediately closed the door, hit her panic alarm, called 911.”
The man stood outside and “continued to attempt to gain the attention of the homeowner,” a police statement said.
“The evidence revealed that Mr. Ferrell did advance on Officer Kerrick and the investigation showed that the subsequent shooting of Mr. Ferrell was excessive,” police said in another statement issued late Saturday night. “Our investigation has shown that Officer Kerrick did not have a lawful right to discharge his weapon during this encounter. ”
CHARLOTTE — Charlotte-Mecklenburg police say an officer shot and killed a man early today.
Police Chief Rodney Monroe said officers received a call shortly after 2:30 a.m. about an attempted breaking-and-entering at a residence in the 7500 block of Reedy Creek Road in northeast Charlotte.
Officers who responded to the scene came across a man matching the description of the possible suspect, and surrounded him, Monroe said at a press conference at police headquarters. Monroe said the man physically charged at officers, and one of the officers fired at him. The man was struck by bullets multiple times and died at the scene, Monroe said.
A year ago Sunday, Jonathan Ferrell wrecked his car on an unfamiliar road. A toxicology report showed no signs drugs, and while he had been drinking he was not drunk. He escaped the car barefoot and without his cellphone. He sought help at a nearby house, but his late-night and urgent knocking frightened the woman inside.
He then ran up to three Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers who had responded to the woman’s 911 call. Moments later, he was dead, and for the first time in at least 30 years, a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officer was charged with a crime in connection with an on-duty shooting.
On Monday, she got closer to her answers. A grand jury indicted Officer Randall Kerrick, 28, who joined the city’s animal control division in 2010 as a pathway to his police job, on a charge of voluntary manslaughter. He was the first Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer charged in a fatal shooting in more than 30 years.
WCNC 9:05 a.m. EST February 9, 2015
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A trial date for Officer Randall Kerrick has been set.
Court officials confirm to NBC Charlotte that Kerrick will be tried on voluntary manslaughter charges on July 20. As of now, the trial will happen in Charlotte.
http://www.news-record.com/news/article_87070ba0-1d5f-11e3-af0e-001a4bcf6878.html
http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/27/us/north-carolina-police-shooting/
http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/15/justice/north-carolina-police-shooting/
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/crime/article9165083.html
http://www.wcnc.com/story/news/crime/2015/01/20/trial-date-set-for-randall-kerrick/22061691/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/jonathan-ferrell-death/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/16/jonathan-ferrell-shot_n_3937175.html
http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2013/09/jonathan_a_ferrell_ran_for_hel.html
http://www.wbtv.com/story/24510643/charlotte-officer-not-indicted-in-deadly-shooting
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