Jonathan Ferrell North Carolina Police Shooting Update: Officer Randall Kerrick's Trial Ends in Hung Jury
The family of an unarmed man shot 10 times by a North Carolina policeman, eight of the shots reportedly coming while he was crawling on the ground, is calling for a new trial, after the initial proceedings for officer Randall Kerrick ended in a hung jury.
According to the Charlotte Observer, North Carolina Superior Court Judge Robert Ervin dismissed jurors on Friday after they announced they had deadlocked 8-4 in reaching a decision on the involuntary manslaughter charges brought against the 27-year-old Kerrick in the 2013 shooting death of Florida A&M football player Jonathan Ferrell.
The 12-member jury consisted of eight women (two African-American, two Hispanic) and a lone African-American man. Jurors deliberated for approximately four days in the case that could have landed Kerrick behind bars for up to 11 years. The case drew widespread interest from Black Lives Matter activist.
On the night of the shooting, Ferrell was involved in a car accident, described as so severe he had to crawl out of the back window of the vehicle. After that, Ferrell wandered to the home of Sarah McCartney and began banging on the door for help.
McCartney quickly called police to report, "There's a guy breaking in my front door. He's trying to kick it down."
According to Ferrell's attorney Chris Chestnut, his client was on the sidewalk when officers arrived. Dashcam video shows Ferrell initially walking toward officers, then turning to run. His attorneys said he became afraid for his life after another officer pointed a taser at him. The Root reports that the 10 shots that hit Ferrell easily pierced his body.
Before retiring in early July, former Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Rodney Monroe said deadly force wasn't justified and Kerrick did not have a lawful right to discharge his weapon.
Ultimately, Kerrick, who testified during trial that Ferrell was trying to take his gun, was fired, and the city of Charlotte has since settled a lawsuit filed by Ferrell's family for $2.25 million.
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