Posted on 09/15/2013 3:05:55 PM PDT by nickcarraway
North Carolina's Charlotte-Mecklenburg police department says Jonathan A. Ferrell, 24, may have been seeking assistance after a car crash. But when he ran toward officers, the former Florida A&M University football player was killed.
An unarmed North Carolina man who was shot and killed by police while running toward an officer may have only been seeking help after surviving a car crash.
Jonathan A. Ferrell, 24, was shot multiple times when authorities say he surprised a trio of police officers with Charlotte-Mecklenburg police department by running toward them around 2 a.m. Saturday.
Officer Randall Kerrick, 27, reacted by firing his weapon with "excessive" and "unlawful" force, his department now believes, killing the former Florida A&M University football player who recently moved to the area.
"(Ferrell) immediately charged towards the three officers, one in particular. That officer fired his weapon several times, striking the individual multiple times," Police Chief Rodney Monroe said in a press conference.
Use of a stun gun was attempted by an officer prior to the shooting according to police but its discharge was "unsuccessful."
Officer Randall Kerrick, 27, turned himself in Saturday just after a warrant was signed for his arrest on voluntary manslaughter charges.
Ferrell was pronounced dead at the scene. Police say Ferrell's description matched one given by a woman who moments earlier called 911 reporting a man as wildly knocking on her front door and attempting to break in. Officers now believe this man described as resembling Ferrell may have just been trying to get help.
A mangled vehicle believed to have belonged to Ferrell was later discovered in some nearby woods.
"We believe that vehicle belonged to the individual who was shot. It's quite possible he was seeking assistance. Based on his accident, it was a pretty serious accident," said Monroe.
Police say Jonathan A. Ferrell's description matched one given by a woman who moments earlier called 911 to report a man as wildly knocking on her front door, pictured. Police now believe he only wanted help. WSOCTV.COM
Police say Jonathan A. Ferrell's description matched one given by a woman who moments earlier called 911 to report a man as wildly knocking on her front door, pictured. Police now believe he only wanted help.
WBTV reported the driver of that vehicle had to climb out the back window to escape due to the severity of the crash.
A warrant was signed for Kerrick's arrest for voluntary manslaughter just before he turned himself in Saturday.
"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 a statement issued late Saturday. "Our investigation has shown that Officer Kerrick did not have a lawful right to discharge his weapon during this encounter."
The two-year police veteran, who joined the force in April 2011, the Charlotte Observer reports, is currently in police custody.
Monroe described him as "devastated" by the death when contacted by WSOC-TV. Not far from the scene of the shooting police discovered a wrecked vehicle, crashed in the woods. They now believe it may have been driven by Ferrell and he escaped seeking help. WSOCTV.COM
Not far from the scene of the shooting police discovered a wrecked vehicle, crashed in the woods. They now believe it may have been driven by Ferrell and he escaped seeking help.
"He is pretty shook up," he said.
The two officers with Kerrick at the time of the shooting are currently on paid administrative leave, which is a routine procedure following a shooting involving an officer, according to the department.
"My hearts goes out to the Ferrell family, quite naturally, as well as the main members of the CMPD family. This is never something easy to deal with, never something easy for us to quite grasp, but we are going to rise form this as we have from other things," said Monroe.
FAMU interim athletic director Michael Smith confirmed to the Associated Press Sunday that Ferrell played the safety position for the Rattlers in 2009-10.
There is your main problem right there.
Approaching a police officer is now seen as "advancing on" the officer.
The police now see EVERYONE as a potential threat to themselves, not a citizenry that they walk amongst.
-PJ
Was he black?
Terrible any way you look at it.
There was a Gypsy near Reno who killed a man. His car broke down. He killed the guy who came to help him when he walked up the side of the car.
The NATO backed Serbian leader at the time was pleading to stop the Gypsy from being executed.
Most police are no longer ‘peace officers’; they’re ‘law enforcement’. Different attitude entirely.
The police now see EVERYONE as a potential threat to themselves, not a citizenry that they walk amongst.
Thanks to the war on drugs, illegal immigration and liberal politics the police are no longer “Officer Friendly”.. Instead they are the Jack Booted Thugs of a War Zone in a LOT of areas inside the borders of the United Socialist States...
How does that matter?
Everyday we hear all kind of stories about those individuals who have gone through intensive training on how to evaluate a situation, establish alternative methods of dealing with the events, and then performing the proper response to these conditions.
We also hear how these same individuals randomly shoot and kill people, shoot and kill bystanders, shoot and kill extremely old people (100+ the other day), shoot and kill people who were minding their own business, shoot and kill people in the wrong house, shoot and kill pets, etc., etc., etc.
So the anti-gun idiots believe if the fully trained and rational police are going to do all this shooting and killing, what is going to happen when an ordinary Joe gets a gun? Obviously he/she will start shooting and killing all the time.
And that is another reason for being against the Stand Your Ground laws. It just gives a license to the ordinary Joe to start shooting and killing.
Of course it does not matter that the only stories we hear about the ordinary Joe are where they are defending their property from thugs breaking and entering or car-jacking.
“...but we are going to rise form this as we have from other things,” said Monroe.”
Undoubtedly they will be “...rising from this...” so they may continue to “move forward”. “Nothing to see here any longer. Move along like a good citizen. We’ll review our policies and all will be well.” /s
Another day, another mind wasted.
Tell me what your answer is if he was white, then if he was black.
No
Did the cop kill the guys dog first? That seems to be the latest thing to do.
Victim and cop pics at link:
Yes, he was.
The victim was black, the cop looks - ewww.
Of course moving away is seen as "evading" and an admission of guilt, ya need to be shot for that, too.
But don't think ya can just stand there, that's "confronting" and that attitude justifies shooting.
Just be sure that when there's four or five cops you obey all their different shouted commands at the same time, or they'll all have to shoot ya for failure to obey.
Cripes.....
‘Advancing on a police officer’ is now potentially a lethal decision. Some day police officers may end up getting back aggressive responses from civilians when they ‘advance’ on the civilians, break into the wrong homes, or kill the wrong pets. It is absolutely amazing that, so far, such a move hasn’t been met with an aggressive response towards the ‘advancing’ officers.
they don’t protect and serve me when i’m an automatic suspect. and i am considered that far too often every damn day.
personally the absolute TON of fictional cop’shows on tv do not help the matter by protraying cops doing things they cannot do legally. Gung ho and to hell with the law and guns drawn every ten minutes on tv turns into “I can do that for real,too” on patrol.
and they can. they’re like teachers. almost’impossible to get fired in real life. almost’impossible’to be personally’liable for wrongful deaths. nobody loses pensions to pay restitution, the taxpayers gets screwed again.
Yup.
Killed for RUI (running while black)
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