The case which is bound to attract National attention and spark resentment among CMPD Officers, is unprecedented in the swiftness in which the Officer was charged and arrested.
Normally Officer involved shootings undergo a series of through investigations and a complete review by the DA's office prior to announcing that an Officer would be charged. Further the Officer is normally allowed to present himself for arrest and not taken into custody, stripped of his uniform and processed in his t-shirt.
Cedar's Take: Officer Kerrick's arrest prior to an autopsy and toxicology report is a clearly Chief Monroe pandering to the black community. Kerrick is white and the alleged victim is black.
Questions that need to be answered, include what role did DA Murray have in the decision to charge Kerrick. Was Ferrell's ability to understand police commands compromised? Why did the Taser fail? why didn't Ferrell call 911 to say I've had an accident? Why wasn't the SBI or FBI called in? Why wasn't the North Carolina State Attorney's Office brought in? Or the US Justice Department?
This rush to charge Kerrick is as disturbing as the rush to shoot a charging black football player in the dark of night. One that is a suspect in an attempted B&E, or worse an attempted home invasion. Remember no one knew at the time about the wreck.
Even if the facts play out that there was probable cause to charge Kerrick the speed at which the charges were brought paint Rodney Monroe is one hell of a racist hubris Son Of BOB.
CNN's account based on Charlotte stations WBTV and WSOC coverage is below.
(CNN) -- Police in North Carolina shot and killed a man running toward them Saturday morning -- but he may have just been looking for help after a car wreck. Officers responded to a "breaking and entering" 911 call at a home in Charlotte. The homeowner told dispatchers that a man had been knocking on her door repeatedly.
Police say that when they got to the scene, a man matching the caller's description ran toward them. One of the officers fired his stun gun, but it was "unsuccessful." Another officer then opened fire, police said.
Jonathan Ferrell died at the scene. He was shot several times. He was unarmed.
Police now believe Ferrell was seeking assistance after crashing his car. Ferrell was 24 and a former football player at Florida A&M University. Police found a wrecked car nearby, indicating that he may have been trying to get help.
"It was a pretty serious accident," Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Rodney Monroe told CNN affiliate WSOC.
The crash was so severe that authorities believe Ferrell had to climb out of the back window, another affiliate WBTV reported. He ran to the closest house for help. The woman inside thought it was her husband.
"To her surprise, it was an individual that she did not know or recognize," Monroe told WBTV. "She immediately closed the door, hit her panic alarm, called 911."
The man stood outside and "continued to attempt to gain the attention of the homeowner," a police statement said. Charlotte Police have charged Officer Randall Kerrick with voluntary manslaughter -- a felony.
He turned himself in Saturday afternoon and was being held early Sunday on a $50,000 bond. Police used "charged" and "ran" and "advanced" in their description of what Ferrell did. There were three officers at the scene, but Kerrick was the only one to use a gun. He fired several times, police said.
"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 another statement issued late Saturday night. "Our investigation has shown that Officer Kerrick did not have a lawful right to discharge his weapon during this encounter. "
All three officers have been placed on paid leave. A charge of voluntary manslaughter means the person used excessive force in self-defense, or carried out the act without intent to kill.
Chief Monroe called the incident "unfortunate." "It has devastated a family as well as caused a great deal of sadness and anxiety in our organization".
The reaction Friends expressed grief on social media, calling Ferrell a "brother" and demanding "justice." He had at least one brother, Willie, who played with him at Florida A&M. Ferrell was also engaged. "We loved him. Our family loved him," his fiancé's mother told WSOC.
Cedar Posts Update: Officer Randall Kerrick, 27, was released late Saturday night and has a first appearance court hearing scheduled for Monday, Mecklenburg Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Julia Rush said Sunday
CNN's account based on Charlotte stations WBTV and WSOC coverage is below.
(CNN) -- Police in North Carolina shot and killed a man running toward them Saturday morning -- but he may have just been looking for help after a car wreck. Officers responded to a "breaking and entering" 911 call at a home in Charlotte. The homeowner told dispatchers that a man had been knocking on her door repeatedly.
Police say that when they got to the scene, a man matching the caller's description ran toward them. One of the officers fired his stun gun, but it was "unsuccessful." Another officer then opened fire, police said.
Jonathan Ferrell died at the scene. He was shot several times. He was unarmed.
Police now believe Ferrell was seeking assistance after crashing his car. Ferrell was 24 and a former football player at Florida A&M University. Police found a wrecked car nearby, indicating that he may have been trying to get help.
"It was a pretty serious accident," Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Rodney Monroe told CNN affiliate WSOC.
The crash was so severe that authorities believe Ferrell had to climb out of the back window, another affiliate WBTV reported. He ran to the closest house for help. The woman inside thought it was her husband.
"To her surprise, it was an individual that she did not know or recognize," Monroe told WBTV. "She immediately closed the door, hit her panic alarm, called 911."
The man stood outside and "continued to attempt to gain the attention of the homeowner," a police statement said. Charlotte Police have charged Officer Randall Kerrick with voluntary manslaughter -- a felony.
He turned himself in Saturday afternoon and was being held early Sunday on a $50,000 bond. Police used "charged" and "ran" and "advanced" in their description of what Ferrell did. There were three officers at the scene, but Kerrick was the only one to use a gun. He fired several times, police said.
"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 another statement issued late Saturday night. "Our investigation has shown that Officer Kerrick did not have a lawful right to discharge his weapon during this encounter. "
All three officers have been placed on paid leave. A charge of voluntary manslaughter means the person used excessive force in self-defense, or carried out the act without intent to kill.
Chief Monroe called the incident "unfortunate." "It has devastated a family as well as caused a great deal of sadness and anxiety in our organization".
The reaction Friends expressed grief on social media, calling Ferrell a "brother" and demanding "justice." He had at least one brother, Willie, who played with him at Florida A&M. Ferrell was also engaged. "We loved him. Our family loved him," his fiancé's mother told WSOC.
Cedar Posts Update: Officer Randall Kerrick, 27, was released late Saturday night and has a first appearance court hearing scheduled for Monday, Mecklenburg Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Julia Rush said Sunday
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