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Charlotte police officer charged with manslaughter after shooting unarmed man

Big ChiefBig Chief Posts: 32,995 Senior Member
This time, I'm kinda siding with the cop. On a 911 call for a possible robbery dude didn't stop after being tased and was running toward them.....I don't know the whole story, though.

If indeed, it was a "Bad Shoot" maybe things are changing and there is starting to be some more accountability when they shoot under dubious circumstances.

If the cop is innocent then I hope he is fully restored to duty and if not convicted.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/09/15/charlotte-police-officer-charged-with-manslaughter-after-shooting-unarmed-man/?intcmp=latestnews





"Charlotte, N.C., police say an officer who shot and killed an unarmed man has been charged with voluntary manslaughter.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Rodney Monroe said at a news conference that Officer Randall Kerrick had turned himself in.

The man shot, identified as 24-year-old Jonathan Ferrell, had apparently been in a car wreck and was seeking help by knocking on the door of a house in the city's east side early Saturday morning, according to police. The woman who lived there opened the door, thinking the knock came from her husband. When she realized it wasn't him, she called 911.

When officers arrived, they found Ferrell a short distance from the home, and he matched a description given by the homeowner, police said.

The statement said officers approached Ferrell to investigate the original call. Ferrell ran toward the officers and was hit with a Taser. Ferrell continued to run toward police when Ofc. Randall Kerrick fired his weapon, hitting Ferrell several times. Ferrell was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators said they think a wrecked car discovered down an embankment in nearby woods may have been driven by Ferrell, and detectives are trying to find out if he was trying to get help from the resident who called 911.

Chief Rodney Monroe told a news conference that he didn't think Ferrell was trying to rob the woman.

"I don't believe threats were made," the chief said.

Monroe also said he had spoken with Kerrick.

"He is pretty shook up," the chief said. "He's devastated."

Kerrick, has been with Charlotte-Mecklenburg police since April 2011. Two other officers at the scene have been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of a probe into the shooting.

The Associated Press contributed to this report."

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/09/15/charlotte-police-officer-charged-with-manslaughter-after-shooting-unarmed-man/?intcmp=latestnews#ixzz2exulfqWa
It's only true if it's on this forum where opinions are facts and facts are opinions
Words of wisdom from Big Chief: Flush twice, it's a long way to the Mess Hall
I'd rather have my sister work in a whorehouse than own another Taurus!

Replies

  • TeachTeach Posts: 18,428 Senior Member
    I wonder how bad the wreck was? Chances are the guy was injured and unable to understand the officers' instructions? Shooting somebody for running toward them seems a little excessive, unless he was brandishing something deadly. Of course "I gotta go home at the end of my shift" seems to be all that's necessary to justify some pretty trigger-happy behavior these days!
    Jerry
  • samzheresamzhere Posts: 10,923 Senior Member
    Good points on both sides of the issue, and the info we have available is of course too sparse for us to make a good decision either way.

    Yes the guy was unarmed but he was tazed and kept coming. We don't exactly know the distances nor what was said or yelled or the big picture. It will be interesting to see how this case develops. Right now I kinda side with the cop, as Teach does, but facts may indicate otherwise.

    I do know that this will be predicated by the media as a "brutal thug cop" but I'd guess that the cop was trying to do the right thing and was scared and was trying to protect himself and his pals.

    I'm also guessing that this will be borderline but the cop will be absolved, yet he'll naturally have to be privately reamed out and his training reviewed. Not a happy scenario regardless of how it turns out.
  • TeachTeach Posts: 18,428 Senior Member
    The cop definitely looks like he made a bad judgement call- - - -"several shots fired" sounds like he panicked and emptied his magazine at an injured man trying to get some help for himself. My mother worked with a female ex-cop from the Nashville police department who got fired from the force after getting into a similar situation. When the victims of a hostage situation at a convenience store got loose and ran for safety, the woman gunned down several of them. Adrenaline overload, poor training, inexperience, or "all of the above"?
    Jerry
  • jbp-ohiojbp-ohio Posts: 10,942 Senior Member
    Well...................... at least he was more accurate than the NYPD and didn't take out any bystanders. shooting-two-guns.gif
    "The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not." Thomas Jefferson
  • FisheadgibFisheadgib Posts: 5,797 Senior Member
    jbp-ohio wrote: »
    Well...................... at least he was more accurate than the NYPD and didn't take out any bystanders. shooting-two-guns.gif


    Tonight on the news they said that he fired 12 shots and hit the guy 10 times.
    snake284 wrote: »
    For my point of view, cpj is a lot like me
    .
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