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| Jonathan Ferrell is seen in an undated photo provided by Florida A&M University. Ferrell, 24, was shot and killed Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, by North Carolina police officer Randall Kerrick after a wreck in Charlotte, N.C. Ferrell was unarmed. Police called the Ferrell and Kerrick's initial encounter " appropriate and lawful. But in their statement late Saturday, they said "the investigation showed that the subsequent shooting of Mr. Ferrell was excessive" and "Kerrick did not have a lawful right to discharge his weapon during this encounter." Police said Kerrick was charged with voluntary manslaughter. |
CHARLOTTE, N.C.
(AP) -- The deadly encounter was set in motion when a former college
football player survived a wreck and went searching for help in the
middle of the night. A frightened woman heard him pounding and opened
her front door, then called police. Officers found the unarmed man, and
one shot him
when a Taser failed to stop him from approaching.
Within
hours, investigators determined that the shooting had been excessive
and charged the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer with voluntary
manslaughter in the death of former Florida A&M University football
player Jonathan A. Ferrell.
Ferrell, 24, played for Florida A&M in 2009 and 2010, school officials said Sunday. He had recently moved to North Carolina.
Early
Saturday, he had apparently been in a wreck and was seeking help at a
nearby house, according to a statement from Charlotte-Mecklenburg
police. A woman answered the door and, when she didn't recognize the
man, called 911.
Officers responding to the
breaking and entering call found Ferrell a short distance from the home,
police said. As they approached him, Ferrell ran toward the officers,
who tried to stop him with a Taser. Police said he continued to run
toward them when officer Randall Kerrick fired his gun, hitting Ferrell
several times. Ferrell died at the scene.
Police
called Ferrell and Kerrick's initial encounter "appropriate and
lawful." But in their statement late Saturday, they said "the
investigation showed that the subsequent shooting of Mr. Ferrell was
excessive" and "Kerrick did not have a lawful right to discharge his
weapon during this encounter."
Police said
Kerrick was charged with voluntary manslaughter, which under North
Carolina law involves killing without malice using "excessive force" in
exercising "imperfect self-defense."
Police
were not expected to offer further details Sunday, said Officer Keith
Trietley, a department spokesman. The report was not available Sunday.
Kerrick,
27, of Midland, turned himself in for booking Saturday evening and was
released on $50,000 bond, according to the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's
Office website. Kerrick joined the police force in April 2011. He has a
first appearance court hearing scheduled for Monday.
FAMU
Interim Athletic Director Michael Smith said Ferrell played the safety
position for the school's football team during the 2009 and 2010
seasons.
"Our hearts and prayers go out to his family during their time of bereavement," Smith said in an emailed statement.
A
search of public records indicated that Ferrell began living in
Charlotte early this year after moving from Tallahassee, Fla., home to
FAMU.
Police Chief Rodney Monroe described the
auto accident in a news conference: Ferrell was driving a vehicle that
crashed into trees off a northeast Charlotte road early Saturday, and
the wreck was so severe he would have had to climb out of the back
window to escape. Monroe said he didn't know what caused the crash and
didn't say whether Ferrell suffered injuries.
Ferrell
apparently walked about a half-mile to the nearest house and was
"banging on the door viciously" to attract attention, Monroe said.
Thinking it was her husband coming home late from work, the woman who
lives there opened the door. When she saw Ferrell, she shut it and
called police about 2:30 a.m., Monroe said.
Monroe said he didn't think the unarmed Ferrell made threats or tried to rob the woman.
