A defense attorney for Randall
Kerrick, the Charlotte police officer who killed an unarmed FAMU alumnus, says
the shooting was “justified.”
On September 14, Kerrick fired twelve
rounds at Jonathan A. Ferrell, a 24-year old Tallahassee native and former FAMU football player who was
searching for help after an automobile accident. Ten of those shots hit his
body. He died at the scene.
Michael Greene, a lawyer for
Kerrick, defended his client’s actions.
“His actions were justified on the
night in question,” Greene said in a quote published by The Associated Press.
Ferrell crashed his car late in the early hours of Saturday morning in Charlotte and then sought help by knocking on the door of a nearby house. The homeowner, Sarah McCartney, said she feared for her safety when she heard the noise.
“I woke up around 2:30 a.m, and
there was a strange man kicking and banging violently on the door,” McCartney
said in a quote published by NBC News. “I feared for my life and my son’s life.”
“I thought something had happened
to my husband so I opened the door, realized it wasn’t him and shut the door,”
she continued.
McCartney called 9-1-1. When three
police officers arrived, Ferrell ran in their direction. After one officer unsuccessfully
attempted to use a Taser on Ferrell, Kerrick began firing his gun.
Kerrick now faces a voluntary
manslaughter charge. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department released at statement on the incident that read, in part:
“The investigation showed that the
initial encounter of Mr. Ferrell and Officer Kerrick was appropriate and
lawful. The evidence revealed that Mr. Ferrell did advance on Officer Kerrick
and the investigation showed that the subsequent shooting of Mr. Ferrell was
excessive and violated (G.S. 14-18 (voluntary manslaughter). Our investigation
has shown that Officer Kerrick did not have a lawful right to discharge his
weapon during this encounter.”
“This is a very unfortunate
incident and it has devastated a family as well as caused a great deal of
sadness and anxiety in our organization. However we must always strive to bring
forth all facts and evidence in every case to determine when it is appropriate
to place criminal charges against a member of the department.”