Jonathan Ferrell, a 24-year-old former Florida A&M football player, survived a serious car crash early Saturday only to be shot and killed by a police officer. The police officer who shot Ferrell, identified as 27-year-old Randall Kerrick, was charged with voluntary manslaughter Sunday, officials told the Charlotte Observer.
Ferrell had crashed his car early Saturday morning in what police said was a “severe” accident, crawled out from the back window and tried to get help at the closest home to the scene by banging on the door, Charlotte-Mecklenberg police Chief Rodney Monroe said to the Observer. The woman at the home believed Ferrell was knocking on her door to rob her and called 911. According to police, Ferrell acted aggressively when officers arrived, leading one police officer to fire his taser at Ferrell before Kerrick started shooting. Ferrell was unarmed.
The police chief said that there was no evidence that alcohol had played a role in Ferrell’s accident but that toxicology reports would take several weeks.
Officials said the shooting was “excessive,” the Observer reported.
“Our investigation has shown that Officer Kerrick did not have a lawful right to discharge his weapon during this encounter,” Monroe said.
Meredith Clark
Meredith Clark is a freelance writer and editor. She was previously a senior news producer for "Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj," a reporter with MSNBC.com, the digital politics and culture editor at Glamour and a senior news and politics editor at Refinery29. She has written for Vulture, Rolling Stone, Self, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, The Daily Beast and Bustle.