But now, legal experts agree the swiftly filed voluntary manslaughter charges against the officer ultimately won’t hold up against mounting evidence supporting self defense; and an expected reduction in charges, or eventual acquittal, may only reignite racial tensions.
...The case has police organizations worried racial politics is swaying internal decisions in cities across the country...
Like the racially explosive Martin case – in which the unarmed black teen was fatally shot by a neighborhood watch captain – the Charlotte shooting appeared from initial reporting to be an open-and-shut case of excessive force...
As the victim’s family lawyers and sympathetic media told the story, Ferrell was shot repeatedly merely for running to police and asking them for help after crashing his car.
They claimed there was no warning from the three officers who responded to the scene before shots were fired, making it seem like a young black man was gunned down in cold blood.
...In fact, footage from a dashboard-mounted police camera shows officers commanded Ferrell at least three times to stop before Kerrick fired, but Ferrell continued to advance menacingly toward them...
“Orders were given by one of the officers as it relates to him stopping,” confirmed Charlotte Police Chief Rodney Monroe, who is African-American. “There were statements given of that nature.”
The NAACP, however, insists it was an “execution” of a black man.
However, the video shows Kerrick first opened fire after Ferrell – who as a former Florida A&M University football player was much larger than Kerrick – charged him while ignoring commands and concealing his hands. Kerrick fired more rounds after Ferrell continued to move forward to the point where he made physical contact with the officer.
“His hands were not in the air,” said Kerrick attorney George Laughrun. At one point before the shooting, Laughrun added, “You see one of his hands partially behind his back, concealed, as he continued to advance.”
Ferrell may have been under the influence of controlled substances.
Witnesses reported to investigators that they saw Ferrell, who had dropped out of college, drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana in the hours before he crashed his car at an entrance to a suburban Charlotte neighborhood that Saturday at 2:30 a.m.
A 911 tape reveals a frantic call from homeowner Sarah McCartney, who was home alone with her 1-year-old son while her husband was traveling. Through tears, she reported Ferrell trying to kick in her front door in what she thought was an attempted robbery. Banging and yelling can be heard in the background.
“How could this white woman be so terrified by the mere sight of a black man – an injured one at that – that she couldn’t contain her fright long enough to even hear out his plea for help? Come on,” wrote Neil Drumming a black columnist for Salon.com.
Drumming said nothing excuses “her utter lack of empathy,” while failing to report that Ferrell tried to kick in her front door. The 911 tape indicates Ferrell wasn’t acting like a helpless man but a ferocious threat.
Nonetheless, black radio called McCartney a “racist b—-” guilty of a “hate crime.”
A number of black activists posted McCartney’s home address along with photos of her home on social media. As a result, a number of vehicles have driven by her house harassing her family. They have had to hire security for protection.
Facebook
Twitter