Less than a week after one grand jury declined to charge him, a different one has indicted a Charlotte, N.C., police officer for voluntary manslaughter in the shooting death of an unarmed man who was looking for help after a car crash.
Prosecutors resubmitted the case against Officer Randall Kerrick after learning not all 18 members of the original grand jury were present for last Tuesday’s vote.
Kerrick, 28, a three-year veteran of the Charlotte police force, shot Jonathan Ferrell, 24, 10 times in a confrontation in September. Ferrell had crashed his car and staggered for help to a nearby home, where the resident called 911 to report a possible break-in.
Ferrell’s family filed a wrongful-death lawsuit earlier this month, arguing that autopsy results showing a downward trajectory by most of the 10 bullets suggested the former Florida A&M University football player was on his knees or on the ground.
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Voluntary Manslaughter? Well, that’s better than nothing, I guess. The fact that it took two Grand Juries to even give him that charge doesn’t bode well for the upcoming trial. I can’t help but feel that this indictment is just for “show”, and that he’ll eventually get off scot-free. It just feels like I’m seeing far too many stories like this lately, where Cops go overboard and beat or kill someone, and there are far too many apologists for the police out there, willing to excuse their evil behavior based on the slightest reason. It’s sickening. If I were the praying type, I’d pray for justice here.
R.I.P. JONATHAN FERRELL
Mr. Ferrell with his fiance Cache Heidel
