Police kill man seeking help after accident

[fgalkin]

Quick, can you guess the race of the shooter and the victim?

CHARLOTTE, N.C. —

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department signed a warrant on Saturday for voluntary manslaughter in the case of an officer who allegedly shot and killed a 24-year-old.

Police have charged 27-year-old Randall Kerrick with voluntary manslaughter.

Officials said that Kerrick turned himself in on Saturday afternoon.

CMPD spent much of the day on Saturday investigating an officer-involved shooting.

Officers said former FAMU football player, Jonathan Ferrell, was shot in the Bradfield Farms Subdivision in Northeast Charlotte early Saturday morning.

Police said Ferrell knocked on a door early in the morning. The woman inside thought it was her husband and opened the door.

"To her surprise it was a person she did not know or recognize. She immediately closed the door, hit her panic alarm and called 911," said Chief Rodney Monroe.

Eventually, three officers arrived.

"He immediately charged towards the three officers, one in particular. That officer fired his weapon several times, striking the individual multiple times," said Monroe.

Ferrell died at the scene and a short time after the shooting police found a black car in some nearby woods. It had apparently crashed.

"We believe that vehicle belonged to the individual who was shot. It's quite possible he was seeking assistance. Based on his accident, it was a pretty serious accident."

The two other officers were placed on administrative leave while internal affairs investigates exactly what happened.

A press release from CMPD said that an officer tried to use a Taser on Ferrell before the shooting, but it was unsuccessful.

A press release from CMPD following Kerrick's arrest said, "This is a very unfortunate incident and it has devastated a family as well as caused a great deal of sadness and anxiety in our organization. However we must always strive to bring forth all facts and evidence in every case to determine when it is appropriate to place criminal charges against a member of the department.

Friends of Farrell spoke to Eyewitness News Reporter Nate Stewart Saturday night by phone and said, "I am obviously shocked and saddened. We loved him. Our family loved him. That's all I got to say."

http://www.wsoctv.com/news/news/local/o ... tte/nZxG3/

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

[Lost Soal]

I won't comment on the shooting itself, its being investigated, leave it at that. However, someone you don't know simply knocking on your front door is cause for calling the police? Talk about an insane over reaction.

[cosmicalstorm]

I won't comment on the shooting itself, its being investigated, leave it at that. However, someone you don't know simply knocking on your front door is cause for calling the police? Talk about an insane over reaction.

Easy to judge with the benefit of hindsight. He might aswell have been a rapist on crack. The cops could have handled it better though.

[salm]

I won't comment on the shooting itself, its being investigated, leave it at that. However, someone you don't know simply knocking on your front door is cause for calling the police? Talk about an insane over reaction.

Easy to judge with the benefit of hindsight. He might aswell have been a rapist on crack. The cops could have handled it better though.

So you recommend calling the cops if an unkown person knocks on your door? A lot of people would have to call the cops all the time which would drain absurd amounts of police resources.

[Lord of the Abyss]

However, someone you don't know simply knocking on your front door is cause for calling the police? Talk about an insane over reaction.

He was black; she looks out and sees a big and black guy? Obviously he's a violent criminal! That's what went though her head, I'm sure. And I'm sure that the cops' thoughts were much the same; "Black?! KILL!!"

[Wing Commander MAD]

I won't comment on the shooting itself, its being investigated, leave it at that. However, someone you don't know simply knocking on your front door is cause for calling the police? Talk about an insane over reaction.

According to the article she opened it without looking thinking it was her husband, upon realizing it wasn't she slammed it shut and called 911. There's discrepancy as between the article and the linked video as to the time when this took place. The article says early morning, while the video states it happened at night. From context we know she was probably home alone and from the sound it the victim may have been injured and acting strangely. Keep in mind that the middle of night or the wee hours of the morning are not normal times for someone to come knocking on your door. A lone woman of unknown age finding a strange man at her door, who may be acting strangely from injuries, at an unusual hour seems like a decent enough reason to call the police.

I won't comment on the shooting itself, its being investigated, leave it at that.

That I'll agree with.

[Kamakazie Sith]

The officer that shot this man deserves prison time.

I am guessing the homeowner likely called in a burglary in progress. When they arrived one officer tried to tase the victim, because he was running them and not stopping when told. When the taser did not work the other officer opened fire and killed him.

Fgalkin, are you implying that this was the result of racism?

[Zaune]

Well, it certainly can't have helped.

[Broomstick]

According to the article she opened it without looking thinking it was her husband, upon realizing it wasn't she slammed it shut and called 911. There's discrepancy as between the article and the linked video as to the time when this took place. The article says early morning, while the video states it happened at night. From context we know she was probably home alone and from the sound it the victim may have been injured and acting strangely. Keep in mind that the middle of night or the wee hours of the morning are not normal times for someone to come knocking on your door.

Really? Hmm.... must be the neighborhoods I've lived in...

A lone woman of unknown age finding a strange man at her door, who may be acting strangely from injuries, at an unusual hour seems like a decent enough reason to call the police.

It's a reason to call the police, it's not sufficient reason to call and claim a crime in progress - if that's what she did. Obviously, we are not privy to all the details here.

I've had oddly behaving people knock on my doors at weird hours. I call 911 and say "There's a stranger outside acting odd, they probably need some sort of help, please send someone". Or, if there is visible blood or injuries I say "There's a stranger outside acting peculiar who is obviously hurt and needs help". I've never had a problem getting the police to respond to such fact-based statements, but there's a meme out there that unless you tell them someone is breaking into your house or something they won't come. They will come, although "injured guy wandering around the yard gibbering to himself" is going to be a lower priority than "someone is breaking down my front door while firing guns in the air". Which is as it should be in my mind.

If you don't want to let the person in just yell through the door you've called for help and it's on the way.

Where racism could come into play (though I don't know if it did or not) might be the assumption that a man of a particular ethnic group knocking on your door is more likely to be a criminal than a fellow citizen in need of aid. Or it could also be sexism, with the assumption that any strange man knocking on your door is a criminal.

[Zaune]

Point of clarification: When calling the equivalent emergency number in Britain, one is asked which service (police, fire brigade, ambulance service or sometimes the Coast Guard or Mountain Rescue) they need help from and are then transferred to the relevant emergency service's operator. Is that true in the United States?

[Broomstick]

Sort of.

For example, I once called 911 about an accident I had witnessed on the interstate. My cellphone glommed onto a local 911 operator who then transferred me to the State Police, who have jurisdiction over the Interstates. 911 operators might ask if you need an ambulance, but might just send one if it's obvious from your call there's a need. In some jurisdictions they tend to send everyone - police, fire, and ambulance (especially where fire and emergency medics overlap). In other locations the police will arrive first then call for whatever else is needed.

So, 911 might transfer you in the US, but more commonly the 911 operator calls the needed services for you. I guess the idea is to have just one number for people to call and report a problem then let the system take over from there.

[Zaune]

We have a single number, but the 999 dispatcher will usually put you through to the relevant service directly. (It gets trickier if you need more than one, like for a major road accident.) Remember when I had what felt a lot like a heart attack a while ago? The ambulance service dispatcher questioned me about my symptoms a bit and actually had someone with more medical training -might've been an ER doctor- call me back and get some more relevant information to determine how urgent my case was. I guess this is something to do with the fact that thanks to an odd legal loophole, British ambulance services aren't allowed to hand out large fines for making frivolous calls the way the police or Fire Brigade can.

[Dalton]

However, someone you don't know simply knocking on your front door is cause for calling the police? Talk about an insane over reaction.

He was black; she looks out and sees a big and black guy? Obviously he's a violent criminal! That's what went though her head, I'm sure. And I'm sure that the cops' thoughts were much the same; "Black?! KILL!!"

How about we get the full facts of the case before we make judgment calls. Especially moronic ones like the above.

[Wing Commander MAD]

Really? Hmm.... must be the neighborhoods I've lived in...

Are you trying to be passive aggressive or merely make a statement? I really can't tell, could you please clarify.

It's a reason to call the police, it's not sufficient reason to call and claim a crime in progress - if that's what she did. Obviously, we are not privy to all the details here.

Agreed, though the article says she called 911, nothing more.

[Simon_Jester]

Really? Hmm.... must be the neighborhoods I've lived in...

Are you trying to be passive aggressive or merely make a statement? I really can't tell, could you please clarify.

She went on to say in a later post that she's had strangers knock on her door at odd hours of the night on multiple occasions. So what's abnormal according to the person she quoted, is more normal for her.

[Temjin]

The article I read the other day seems to have a few more details:

Police in Charlotte, North Carolina, shot dead an unarmed man who was running toward police officers and may have been just trying to get help after crashing his car, authorities said.

A police officer has been charged with voluntary manslaughter for Saturday's shooting, and an attorney for the victim's family said on Sunday he believed race played a role in the death of Jonathan Ferrell, 24, who was black.

"If Mr. Farrell was not black or brown, wouldn't they have asked him a few questions before showering him with bullets?" said attorney Chris Chestnut, who said he would request all police evidence from the shooting.

Farrell, seeking help after the accident, knocked on a door in a predominantly white neighbourhood, Chestnut said.

A woman called the 911 emergency operator after Ferrell began knocking insistently on her front door about 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said.

The woman, who immediately closed the door on Ferrell after seeing it was not her husband, was likely unaware he had just crawled out of his wrecked car in nearby woods, police said.

Three police officers arrived, finding Ferrell a short distance from the woman's house. As soon as the officers got out of their vehicles, Ferrell started running toward them, police said.

One officer unsuccessfully fired a Taser at Ferrell, and he kept running. Randall Kerrick, another officer, then shot Ferrell several times with his service weapon, killing him, police said.

Police found Ferrell's wrecked car later in the morning.

The police department has placed all three officers on administrative leave while they investigate the shooting. Detectives charged Kerrick with voluntary manslaughter on Saturday.

"Our investigation has shown that Officer Kerrick did not have a lawful right to discharge his weapon during this encounter," the police department said in a statement.

Ferrell was a former football player for Florida A&M University in Tallahassee who had recently moved to Charlotte with his fiancee to continue his studies at Johnson C. Smith University, Chestnut said.

Ferrell was on the Florida A&M roster in the 2009 and 2010 seasons, playing safety, the university said in a statement.

Chestnut, based in Atlanta, represents the family of Florida A&M drum major Robert Champion, who was killed in a hazing incident in 2011. Twelve former band members have been charged with manslaughter, and the family is suing the university for wrongful death.

[Jub]

I must just be lucky to not live in the states, here if somebody I don't know knocks on my door I open it (without fear) and find out what they want. My 5'5" mom did and still does the same things and we were poor enough to not live in the best of cities. We also live in one of the more crime ridden cities in Canada with some fairly major gang activity, via the Hell's Angels, and well above average violent crime rates. So what gives?

[Broomstick]

Really? Hmm.... must be the neighborhoods I've lived in...

Are you trying to be passive aggressive or merely make a statement? I really can't tell, could you please clarify.

She went on to say in a later post that she's had strangers knock on her door at odd hours of the night on multiple occasions. So what's abnormal according to the person she quoted, is more normal for her.

^ This.

I've lived in several large cities in several states in the US. Time of day seems to have little effect on when strangers in distress knock on the door.

[Broomstick]

I must just be lucky to not live in the states, here if somebody I don't know knocks on my door I open it (without fear) and find out what they want. My 5'5" mom did and still does the same things and we were poor enough to not live in the best of cities. We also live in one of the more crime ridden cities in Canada with some fairly major gang activity, via the Hell's Angels, and well above average violent crime rates. So what gives?

The US is a huge place with great variations. I normally look before opening the door because I do live in a large urban area and I'm by nature cautious, but I'm far more likely to assume someone needs help rather than anything else.

In nearly 50 years I can't recall any of those "strangers knocking" to be a criminal intent on harm. It was always someone with a broken down car, victim of crime seeking aid, victim of accident seeking aid, abused child locked out in the night, drunk, high, lost, or some combination of the above.

It's a perception problem more than anything else. Yes, there are bad people, but just about anywhere the odds are that someone knocking at your door needs help rather than intends harm. The problem is that media sells cornflakes by scaring people with exaggerated dangers.

[LadyTevar]

In my neck of the woods, those who want to break in don't knock.

But I am saddened to find I'm right: it was a "predominately white" neighborhood, and he was a young black man. The lady in question probably did believe he was going to break in, steal everything, rape and murder her, and then walk out. Why? Because "that's what black men do to white women living alone".
Somethings won't change until that generation is in the grave...

[Magis]

I must just be lucky to not live in the states, here if somebody I don't know knocks on my door I open it (without fear) and find out what they want. My 5'5" mom did and still does the same things and we were poor enough to not live in the best of cities. We also live in one of the more crime ridden cities in Canada with some fairly major gang activity, via the Hell's Angels, and well above average violent crime rates. So what gives?

My family also lives in Canada, and if my elderly mother saw a stranger knocking insistently on the door in the middle of the night, she would call the police without even opening the door - and she'd be right to do it, especially given the frequency of violent robberies that have taken place in her very middle-class neighbourhood recently.

The tired old cliche that everyone in Canada who approaches your house must be friendly is complete fucking bullshit.

I have friends who live in a wealthy neighbourhood and recently a stranger wandered into a random unlocked house and beat the occupants with a hammer. Our violent crime rate is certainly lower than the USA, but it's completely fucking delusional to not be cautious, and opening your door to literally anyone who knocks at all hours of the night is not being cautious - it's being reckless.

Has anyone thought that maybe the reason he got into an accident is the same as the reason why he was aggressively knocking on a door, which is the same as the reason why he charged the police, which is the same as the reason why he kept charging even after being tazed? It wouldn't surprise me if this guy was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

[Jub]

I must just be lucky to not live in the states, here if somebody I don't know knocks on my door I open it (without fear) and find out what they want. My 5'5" mom did and still does the same things and we were poor enough to not live in the best of cities. We also live in one of the more crime ridden cities in Canada with some fairly major gang activity, via the Hell's Angels, and well above average violent crime rates. So what gives?

My family also lives in Canada, and if my elderly mother saw a stranger knocking insistently on the door in the middle of the night, she would call the police without even opening the door - and she'd be right to do it, especially given the frequency of violent robberies that have taken place in her very middle-class neighbourhood recently.

The tired old cliche that everyone in Canada who approaches your house must be friendly is complete fucking bullshit.

I have friends who live in a wealthy neighbourhood and recently a stranger wandered into a random unlocked house and beat the occupants with a hammer. Our violent crime rate is certainly lower than the USA, but it's completely fucking delusional to not be cautious, and opening your door to literally anyone who knocks at all hours of the night is not being cautious - it's being reckless.

Has anyone thought that maybe the reason he got into an accident is the same as the reason why he was aggressively knocking on a door, which is the same as the reason why he charged the police, which is the same as the reason why he kept charging even after being tazed? It wouldn't surprise me if this guy was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

That's great for her, but it's still paranoid behavior. Violent robbery happens what 1-in-1000 times when a stranger knocks on your door in the middle of the night? If she's elderly she has a greater chance of needing emergency services after getting in and out of the tub or walking up a flight of stairs, so maybe she ought to call the ambulance before she does those things just in case.

People are so fucking scared of the fringe cases these days because it's the angle the media likes to play, but I don't buy it. I've gone 7 years without locking the door to my house, the only things stolen came from roommates and my little brother. In that span I also let a homeless man spend a winter in my garage to do my part to help out the overcrowded shelters, the worst he did was make a bit of a mess and make my mom uncomfortable when she went to look for some tools I'd borrowed. Should I have bought a gun, triple locked my doors, and been fearful for my life and property instead of going on living?

[Temjin]

Has anyone thought that maybe the reason he got into an accident is the same as the reason why he was aggressively knocking on a door, which is the same as the reason why he charged the police, which is the same as the reason why he kept charging even after being tazed? It wouldn't surprise me if this guy was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Have you thought maybe he was just in an auto accident? It's very possible he suffered some sort of head injury and that could explain any weird behaviors he displayed? I've seen people with what looks like minor head injuries act quite oddly.

And where did you get "aggressively knocking?" The only line that describes his knocking describes it as "Insistant." If I was just in an auto accident and I had an injury, I'd be knocking quite insistantly as well.

[AniThyng]

I must just be lucky to not live in the states, here if somebody I don't know knocks on my door I open it (without fear) and find out what they want. My 5'5" mom did and still does the same things and we were poor enough to not live in the best of cities. We also live in one of the more crime ridden cities in Canada with some fairly major gang activity, via the Hell's Angels, and well above average violent crime rates. So what gives?

My family also lives in Canada, and if my elderly mother saw a stranger knocking insistently on the door in the middle of the night, she would call the police without even opening the door - and she'd be right to do it, especially given the frequency of violent robberies that have taken place in her very middle-class neighbourhood recently.

The tired old cliche that everyone in Canada who approaches your house must be friendly is complete fucking bullshit.

I have friends who live in a wealthy neighbourhood and recently a stranger wandered into a random unlocked house and beat the occupants with a hammer. Our violent crime rate is certainly lower than the USA, but it's completely fucking delusional to not be cautious, and opening your door to literally anyone who knocks at all hours of the night is not being cautious - it's being reckless.

Has anyone thought that maybe the reason he got into an accident is the same as the reason why he was aggressively knocking on a door, which is the same as the reason why he charged the police, which is the same as the reason why he kept charging even after being tazed? It wouldn't surprise me if this guy was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

That's great for her, but it's still paranoid behavior. Violent robbery happens what 1-in-1000 times when a stranger knocks on your door in the middle of the night? If she's elderly she has a greater chance of needing emergency services after getting in and out of the tub or walking up a flight of stairs, so maybe she ought to call the ambulance before she does those things just in case.

People are so fucking scared of the fringe cases these days because it's the angle the media likes to play, but I don't buy it. I've gone 7 years without locking the door to my house, the only things stolen came from roommates and my little brother. In that span I also let a homeless man spend a winter in my garage to do my part to help out the overcrowded shelters, the worst he did was make a bit of a mess and make my mom uncomfortable when she went to look for some tools I'd borrowed. Should I have bought a gun, triple locked my doors, and been fearful for my life and property instead of going on living?

Where do you draw the line between paranoid and negligent? If let's say you leave your door unlocked, and one say someone does break in and cause some form of serious harm to an occupant of your house, would you then we considered negligent for failing to do the most basic of home protection (locking your door)?

[Wing Commander MAD]

I've lived in several large cities in several states in the US. Time of day seems to have little effect on when strangers in distress knock on the door.

Fair enough, and yes trouble rarely waits until it's convenient time-wise to happen to people. My original comment was more directed at the people who seemed to think the woman was a crazy paranoid person calling the police because someone knocked on her door. You come to my door "after hours" unannounced and I'm going to be cautious, with cautiousness increasing as light levels decrease.

In my neck of the woods, those who want to break in don't knock.

True, though there's always forcing your way in once the person answers the door, something that I assume would be easier than breaking in.