Jonathan Ferrell Police Shooting Death News: North Carolina Prosecutors Won't Retry Officer Randall Kerrick
Authorities in North Carolina on Friday revealed they have no plans of seeking a retrial against the white police officer who fatally fired 10 bullets into an unarmed black man, after he staggered onto the property of a local woman, apparently seeking help following an early-morning traffic accident.
Jonathan Ferrell, a former Florida A&M University football player, died in a hail of bullets on the morning of Sept. 14, 2013, initially resulting in Officer Randall Kerrick facing manslaughter charges and the prospect of 11 years behind bars.
According to Yahoo, following a jury's recent hung jury verdict and prosecutors' Friday announcement, Ferrell's mother Georgia reflected to the Charlotte Observer, "They didn't try hard enough. It was just another black life. They don't care, it doesn't matter."
She later vowed to continue fighting in her son's memory and working on a foundation in his honor that advocates for justice.
The 24-year-old Ferrell died at the scene. Kerrick alleged he opened fire after the former gridiron star began running toward him. Throughout the trial, attorneys for Ferrell told the court their client only started running after one arriving officer fired a stun gun at him and Kerrick already had his service revolver drawn.
Police had been called to the scene by a woman who feared Ferrell might be trying to invade her home when he knocked on the door looking for help. When called to testify during the month-long proceedings, the 29-year-old Kerrick justified his decision to open fire at point blank range by claiming he feared for his life.
"In consideration of the jurors' comments, the evidence available to the state, and our background in criminal trials, it is our prosecutors' unanimous belief a retrial will not yield a different result," Senior Deputy Attorney General Robert Montgomery wrote to District Attorney Andrew Murray.
In May, the Ferrell family reached a $2.25 million settlement in a wrongful death suit against the city of Charlotte. Since the shooting, Kerrick has been on unpaid leave from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, and on Friday it remained unclear if his job status would soon change.
The shooting and subsequent proceedings attracted protests and interest from the Black Lives Matter movement.
Subscribe to Latin Post!
Sign up for our free newsletter for the Latest coverage!