Jonathan Ferrell
September 14 of 2013 in Charlotte North Carolina, 24 year old Jonathan Ferrell was involved in a car accident. According to police reports, Ferrell had to climb out the back window in order to escape the vehicle. He made his way to a nearby home looking for help, but rather than phoning an ambulance, the homeowner hit their alarm panic button. This alerted police that a home invasion was happening even though that was not the case.
Three officers, including Randall Kerrick, arrived at the scene, and Ferrell allegedly "charged" at them. One of the three officers tasered Ferrell, but when his "advance" did not stop, Kerrick fired 12 shots at Ferrell, hitting him 10 times, 8 of which while he was on the ground. Kerrick was the only officer to take out his gun, and the two other officers initially stated that Kerrick's actions were "appropriate and lawful." Ferrell was found to be unarmed and not under the influence of any drugs or alcohol.
Ferrell was found to be unarmed and not under the influence of any drugs or alcohol.
An immediate investigation followed and Kerrick was suspended without pay. He was soon arrested and charged with voluntary manslaughter, and it was not until the second grand jury that he was indicted. However, the case was declared a mistrial after the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict. Roy Cooper, the attorney general of North Carolina, said the state would not retry Kerrick. This created massive backlash from protesters, who shut down some areas of the city. The Ferrell family reached a 2.25 million dollar settlement with the city in a wrongful death lawsuit. The dashcam footage of the murder was released in 2015, and Kerrick eventually resigned on October 2 of that year.
Jonathan Ferrell was a former football player at Florida A&M. He played safety and was on the 2010 championship team for his school. His college football coach Earl Holmes remarked him as a soft spoken, quiet kid. Jonathan Ferrell worked two jobs, and planned on going back to college and marrying his fiancée. Jonathan Ferrell was called "the shepherd" by his peers because of how he was always looking out for those around him. He is survived by his mother, Georgia, and twin brother, Willie.
Author: Tia Poulakidas
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Petitions
https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/justice-for-jonathan-ferrell
https://www.thepetitionsite.com/683/816/410/justice-for-jonathan-ferrell-we-want-a-retrial-now/
Jonathan Ferrell Foundation:
https://www.facebook.com/Jonathan-A-P-Ferrell-Foundation-Inc-1705340939744465/
Resources
https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/jonathan-ferrell-killed-by-police/
https://abc11.com/news/protests-in-charlotte-after-kerrick-mistrial/951156/