During a press conference Tuesday, the fiancee of Jonathan Ferrell – the black man fatally shot by a white Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer in September – asked CMPD to release the dashboard video of the incident.
With the family’s attorney Christopher Chestnut on her right, Cache Heidel said she couldn’t understand why, despite promises made to her and Ferrell’s family by the CMPD, the video hadn’t been released to the public but a recording of the 911 call had. Heidel, Chestnut and Ferrell’s family have seen the video; the attorney said it was obvious Ferrell wasn’t “erratic, aggressive or threatening.”
“With the release of the 911 video, it kind of criminalizes Jon,” Heidel said, “saying he was trying to break into the house.”
The details of the night Ferrell was shot continue to unfold. What is known is the 24-year-old had been involved in a car accident in which he kicked through the back window of his future father-in-law’s Toyota Camry to escape. Ferrell ran to a nearby home, presumably for help, and began banging on the door. Sarah McCartney opened the door, saw Ferrell, and immediately closed it. She then called 911.
A shaken McCartney, whose husband was working a shift as a nurse at a nearby hospital, told the operator she couldn’t believe she had opened the door.
Two of the three responding officers pulled their Taser guns on Ferrell, who had adjusted his pants presumably to show he was unarmed. The Tasers missed, which is when officer Randall Kerrick unholstered his gun and fired six shots, paused, fired four more shots, paused, and then fired two more shots. Ten hit Ferrell.
Chestnut said warnings from police officers to “get down” came almost at the same time Kerrick fired his weapon.
“No reasonable human being, including Jonathan Ferrell, could have complied with those commands prior to [the] gunshots ringing,” Chestnut said.
Chestnut said his office has requested video footage of the incident at least 12 times. When asked if the CMPD was possibly reserving the evidence for the trial, Chestnut responded by questioning why the 911 call had been released but the video – which, he argued, is public record – hadn’t.
Civil rights groups and the media praised CMPD Chief Rodney Monroe for charging Kerrick with voluntary manslaughter just 19 hours after the incident. But Chestnut sounded leery of the department during the press conference.
“I think President Reagan said it best: Trust but verify. That’s what we’re trying to do. We want facts out in the public domain. Not part of them – all of them.”
Toxicology reports that will show whether Ferrell was under the influence haven’t returned. But Chestnut said their findings are “totally irrelevant,” adding that before shooting, Kerrick was unaware of Ferrell’s state.
“He never took the time to assess any of that before firing his gun,” Chestnut said.
Heidel became emotional when she described her former fiance, whom she said was playful, humble and down to earth. She said she chose to be open to the media as part of her healing process but also to dispel doubts about Ferrell’s character.
“He wasn’t what everybody thinks he was,” she said. “He was a really good guy.”
CLARIFICATION: During the press conference Chestnut said the video is public record. But citing an N.C. General Statute, CMPD spokesman Robert Tufano said the video is not, in fact, public record.
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This article appears in Oct 16-22, 2013.
Cop should be charged with murder.
And CL needs to stop making this a “racial” incident, unless they’re going to question the basic competence of our Af-Am police chief who prematurely filed such weak charges without any investigation having been conducted.
There is no excuse or words to cover up this life of a beautiful person taken to soon by
MURDER. This is first degree murder all the way. There is no theory or excuses. It is what it is.
Charges may have been filed by the chief to keep it quiet not having an up roar in the city. But those charges are the wrong charges. Voluntarily manslaughter thats a dog gone low down dirty shame. That is not what it is. It is FIRST DEGREE MURDER. Whom ever that kerrick training came from being a police officer they trained that young man very wrong. Jonathan Ferrell was an educated young man whom had a great future and present among him. he was shot worst than an animal. Of all the killings going on his death was the worst we all have heard of in this century. He was just a baby coming into real life. Gone but not and never forgotten.
Regardless of how wonderful of a person Jonathan Ferrell was I think we all should wait to form our opinions after all the facts are available. Once the autopsy and toxicology report is available we will then have a better understanding of what state of mind Jonathan was in. Until then there is no real evidence to base a strong opinion on. People are way to eager to jump to a conclusion or to point a finger at who they THINK is wrong. I do know one fact. Even if it makes everyone upset, Randall Kerrick is innocent until proven guilty in the court of law by a jury of his peers. If you don’t know where that text comes from then you need to educate yourself as an American!
I agree that in America, it’s supposed to be that every person is innocent until proven guilty, but we find, “American1787”, it’s quite ironic that when it comes to blacks in this country, it’s usually the other way around…guilty til proven innocent! Because I’m civilized, I agree that we should wait until all the facts are out, but explain to this young man’s parents and fiancee your logic, in a country that is rooted in lacking value for black life, especially young black males. Show me where it seems to go the other way. What does his state of mind have to do with shooting an armless man 10 times when he was probably dead after Kerrick shot him 6 times and paused, then continued shooting. What was the state of mind of the armless black woman in Detroit who was in distress due to her car going into a ditch, and sought help from a nearby home and was shot in the face with a rifle…explain that! Sad state of affairs in this country. This happens too much to be a fluke. But if you’re going to leave comments like such, and there was absolutely nothing wrong with your comment, show some sympathy for a mother or father who has lost their child to unnecessary violence! No matter what facts come out, remember he was unarmed at the end of the day.
2 months and still no taxicology
If there was drugs in his system this information would help the police. The only way that it’s not favorable to the police department is if he was completely clean. If you’ve just been in a terrible reck of course you’re frantic…the police should have arrived and questioned the guy and not with guns out. The shoot first and ask questions later approach is good for the average citizen, but for police, this approach will involve a lot of casualties. Mainly because they respond to a lot of calls.. Protect and serve Everyone. Had they just asked the guy what was going on they would have ended up being a service to him and the lady.