Unarmed Jonathan Ferrell, a former FAMU football player, was shot and killed by Officer Randall Kerrick in Charlotte, North Carolina. Ferrell was seeking help after a car crash and the officer shot him 10 times. According to the police news release, Kerrick fired 12 times at Ferrell while responding to a breaking and entering 911 call and hit him 10 times. Kerrick is facing a voluntary manslaughter charge for shooting Ferrell.
According to the Associated Press, the encounter was set in motion around 2:30 a.m. Saturday when Ferrell’s car ran off the entrance road to a sprawling suburban neighborhood that was carved out of farmland about a decade ago some 15 miles from downtown Charlotte.
After crashing his car into trees, Ferrell kicked out the back window and headed up a hill to the first set of closely-clustered houses he could see. He then started “banging on the door viciously” of a home to attract attention, Police Chief Rodney Monroe said. The woman inside answered, thinking it was her husband coming home late from work. When she saw Ferrell, she shut the door and called police. Monroe said he didn’t think the unarmed Ferrell made threats.
Officers responding to the breaking and entering call found Ferrell on a road that only leads to the neighborhood’s pool. Ferrell ran toward the officers, who tried to stop him with a Taser. Police said he continued to run toward them when Kerrick shot him. Ferrell died at the scene. Family Attorney Chris Chestnut, who has spoken with police officials, said that Kerrick didn’t identify himself as a police officer.
According to CNN, Florida A&M university said it was “deeply saddened” at the loss. In a statement, Michael Smith, interim athletic director, said Ferrell played safety and was part of the 2010 championship team. “Our hearts and prayers go out to his family during their time of bereavement,” Smith said.
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