CHARLOTTE, N.C. Jury selection is set to begin Monday in the manslaughter trial of a North Carolina police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black man in one of a series of killings that have sparked a fresh debate on race and justice in the United States.
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The program was launched in advance of the trial of ex-officer Randall Kerrick, who is white and faces a charge of voluntary manslaughter in the 2013 shooting death of Jonathan Ferrell. While prosecutors say it was obvious Ferrell was not armed, Kerrick’s defense attorneys say that wasn’t clear.
Before jury selection began on Monday, Ferrell’s mother, Georgia, spoke outside court. Charlotte Observer attorney Jon Buchan had filed that motion.
Kerrick’s attorneys tried to get the case moved, saying extensive publicity makes it unlikely he can get a fair trial in Mecklenburg County.
Ferrell had pounded on the door of a home after his auto went off the road. It was the first time a Mecklenburg County police officer was charged in connection with an on-duty shooting in 30 years.
At several earlier hearings, prosecutors and defense attorneys gave a glimpse of how they plan to approach the case.
Ferrell had been in a auto accident and staggered to a nearby house for help.
“I think they’re going to try to profile Jonathan as an mad black man, as a thug, but they can’t”, he said.
George Laughrun, one of Kerrick’s attorneys, said the testimony will show Ferrell had been smoking marijuana and drinking before the crash and that when he approached another officer he shouted: “Shoot me”.
NewsOne Now panelist Avis Jones DeWeever said there is absolutely “no excuse” for the shooting of Ferrell: “This needs to be a guilty verdict”.
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The city of Charlotte agreed to settle an civil suit with Ferrell’s family for $2.25 million in May.
