New grand jury indicts Charlotte police officer who shot unarmed man

[billh58]

Source: NBC News

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.


Read more: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2014/01/27/22470918-new-grand-jury-indicts-charlotte-police-officer-who-shot-unarmed-man?lite

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Justice prevails...

[Comrade Grumpy]

1. Good. That first grand jury was a huge disappointment.

[SkyDaddy7]

12. This is NOT "justice" yet...

My guess is a jury will acquit him like most juries do for cops. The American public is brainwashed on a daily basis via all the cop shows on TV that NEVER EVER portray any bad cops...According to these shows all cops are good even if they break the law for "justice".

I hope I am wrong but I doubt it.

[weissmam]

2. Bad COPs=

Bad Training
Bad Education
Bad Sustainment

[NutmegYankee]

3. I never understand how cops can get away with so many shots.

If a person with a concealed carry handgun fired 10 shots into a legitimate attacker, they'd get charged with murder despite the self defense. And yet cops get away with it time and time again. Glad this one will at least a trial.

[Lurks Often]

9. Standard training is to keep shooting until the aggressor ceases to be a threat

Note I am not referring specifically to this case.

As long as the aggressor continues to be a threat, a police officer (and civilians for that matter) is trained to keep shooting until the aggressor stops being a threat. The objective is for the aggressor to stop being a threat, not necessarily kill him, although the aggressor dying from the wounds is often the result.

For a documented case of a person who continued to attack even while suffering a wound he would have died from even if he was in a first class trauma unit see the 1986 FBI Miami shootout. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1986_FBI_Miami_shootout#Suspects

Michael Platt was shot 12 times, including one wound that was considered unsurvivable (see Part II of the below link)

Here is a forensic analysis of the FBI Miami shootout: http://www.firearmstactical.com/briefs7.htm

[sendero]

11. That sounds good..

... except this guy was never a threat.

If you are afraid of your own shadow you should probably not be a cop.

[Lurks Often]

13. As I stated in my prior post, I was not referring to this incident n/t

[hrmjustin]

4. Good!

[Scootaloo]

5. In case anyone is new to the story and hadn't guessed, this is Johnathan Ferrel

And the officer who gunned him down:


Voluntary manslaughter? I guess it's better than the usual "absolutely nothing."

[billh58]

6. Thanks for adding

some perspective to this tragedy.

[Scootaloo]

7. It's not a tragedy. Tragedies are beyond human control

Ferrel was murdered by an asshole with a badge and a sense of entitlement. That's a violation, not a tragedy.

[billh58]

8. I stand corrected

and agree completely.

[alp227]

10. K&R + Charlotte Observer article

CMPD Officer Kerrick indicted in shooting of unarmed man