MISTRIAL NC - Jonathan Ferrell, 24, fatally shot by LE, Charlotte, 14 Sep 2013

MsFacetious

What a Kerfuffle...
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Police in North Carolina shot and killed a man running toward them Saturday morning -- but he may have just been looking for help.

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One of the officers pulled out his stun gun, but it malfunctioned.
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.

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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.

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There were three officers at the scene, but Kerrick was the only one to use a gun.

He fired several times, police said.


http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/15/justice/north-carolina-police-shooting/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
 
The police officer that shot and killed a former FAMU football player has been arrested and charged with voluntary manslaughter, that according CBS affiliate WBTV in Charlotte.

http://www.wctv.tv/home/headlines/F...layer-Shot-To-Death-By-Police--223774221.html


Article about the brothers, looks like the victim's name may be spelled wrong.
In this one it's spelled Jonathon:


http://www.thefamuanonline.com/sports/ferrell-leaves-ole-miss-returns-home-1.2411456#.UjVtKD8gv4o


Florida A&M linebacker Willie Ferrell transferred from a major Division I program to tend to his ailing mother, Georgia Mills-Ferrell, who almost had a heart attack last year.

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Ferrell, the youngest of five, shares the playing field with his brother Jonathon, a third-year psychology student and strong safety. They also played football together at FAMU DRS.

Getting the opportunity to play with his brother again was another reason Willie transferred to FAMU.

"Playing football with him again feels like it did in high school, summer nights you don't want to end because they are so much fun," Jonathon said.

"It's refreshing to come in the locker room and have your best friend to laugh with."
 
Oh this is sad. To think it seems to have started because a woman was so frightened she reported an accident victim knocking on her door as a break and enter!! I would bet if the cops hadn't heard B&E, they might have been able to actually help someone. Jonathon Ferrell must have been in shock and confused, just going on adrenaline. Maybe his clothes were ripped. Maybe there was blood on his face. Maybe an inexperienced cop would assume the worst and think, big kid, bad clothes, not listening, danger. Not maybe this guy may be injured so hurt his ears could be ringing, and he isn't able to hear me. If that woman had said that someone was knocking on her door and she was scared because she didn't know him, maybe Ferrell would be alive because the cops wouldn't have had "housebreaking criminal" in their minds based on nothing but that woman's fears.
 
The woman did tell police this person was knocking on her door, according to cnn article.
 
Thanks jjenny. I shouldn't post when I'm tired and not double checking. I made the assumption that the jump from knocking to housebreaking happened with the caller rather than further along the chain. Then went into my little rant of further suppositions. Sorry to have muddied the waters around a case that could become extremely controversial as the investigation proceeds.

My apologies for a negative tone that really wasn't helpful. Actually, I'm really impressed that LE responded so decisively when dealing with one of its own. Given this attitude, I'm hopeful that they will be able to find ways to prevent recurrences of this kind of situation.

I'm saddened that another young life was so needlessly taken.
 
"It was a pretty serious accident," Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Rodney Monroe told CNN affiliate WSOC.

The crash was so severe that authorities now believe Ferrell had to climb out of the back window,
another affiliate WBTV reported.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/15/justice/north-carolina-police-shooting/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

I saw a photo of the car in one of the (many!) articles about this, but can't find it now. It was serious, but not like what I'd call "severe." The front end was crumpled and there was other damage, but it wasn't crushed or mangled and it looked like the passenger compartment was not significantly compromised. I can't remember if the windsheild was shattered, but the rear window was broken out.jmo
 
I understand that she might get scared at first, but after some minutes the reality must've sunk in? I'm sure he screamed and explained and all that.

This is just one horrible event after the other.
 
I understand that she might get scared at first, but after some minutes the reality must've sunk in? I'm sure he screamed and explained and all that.

This is just one horrible event after the other.

I am not sure of anything of the sort. We don't know what caused the crush to begin with, and he could have been disoriented after the crush. Maybe he had head trauma. He might have not necessarily been making sense.
 
His car is shown in this video at about the 1:20 mark. It looks significantly damaged to me.

http://www.wsoctv.com/videos/news/cmpd-officer-charged-for-shooting-killing-unarmed/vCCTrc/

Oh, the police have also removed the front door from the house he knocked on?

Looks like a lot of damage to the front of the car. The guy could have hit his head. Maybe he wasn't behaving rationally due to head trauma?
If they removed the door I presume there are marks on it from the guy banging on it.
 
The woman did nothing wrong by calling the police. I would be very likely to call them if anyone were knocking on my door at 2:30 am. People "breaking and entering" seldom do so by knocking/pounding on the front door however. I agree that he was probably disoriented from the accident.
 
Don't most robbers run away from cops, not towards them?
 
The woman did nothing wrong by calling the police. I would be very likely to call them if anyone were knocking on my door at 2:30 am. People "breaking and entering" seldom do so by knocking/pounding on the front door however. I agree that he was probably disoriented from the accident.

Regarding people breaking and entering not knocking on doors. That is not accurate. A lot of robbers knock on the door first to see if anyone is home. If nobody answers they know they can break in. And some robbers claim to be something they are not to get into the house. When we live in a crime free society, then and only then I will be communicating with someone in the middle of the night.
 
Don't most robbers run away from cops, not towards them?

depends, I suppose. But in this case the person reported to the police as a breaking and entering suspect did run toward the cops, even after they tried to tase him. So....

jmo
 
By the way in New York cops just shot two women who were bystanders, while trying to shoot some apparently disturbed guy-who wasn't armed either. And-no charges so far and I doubt any would be coming.
 
Mother Forgives Police Officer Who Shot Her Unarmed Son

The mother of a former Florida A&M University football player killed in a barrage of 10 bullets by a police officer while apparently looking for help after a crashing his car said that she forgives the officer and wishes him the best.

"You caused a great loss to my heart," Georgia Ferrell said at a news conference today as she clutched a Winnie the Pooh bear beloved by her son. "You took a piece of my heart that never can be put back, but I do forgive you. I truly forgive you and wish you the best with your life and turning it over to God."

http://abcnews.go.com/US/mother-forgives-police-officer-shot-unarmed-son/story?id=20270656

I could understand this if he was ALONE. But there was THREE cops there.
He was the only one who shot. Even after he started shooting the other two didn't start shooting.
That says a lot. The other two simply didn't see the threat that he did.
 
10 Bullets. Even his own are saying he had no cause to discharge his weapon.

I am a huge supporter of LE, but the very unseasoned cops in NYC shouldnt be held up as an example of how a jurisdiction should react, imvho. The man in Times Square was brought down by another officer without injury to anyone, IIRC. Apparently one who recognized that Bang Bang as a hand gesture does not pose an actual threat to a police officer or the public.

In this case, this injured man died in a barrage of bullets from one person who fired his weapon. It is fortunate for everyone else that they werent killed from friendly fire.

I suspect that the ethnicity of the victim has a great deal to do with the officer leaping to conclusions and shooting him. That is just my opinion.

What a mess and what a tragedy. :(
 

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