Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Officer Randall Kerrick testifies during his voluntary manslaughter trial, Thursday, August 13, 2015, in Charlotte, N.C. Kerrick charged in the shooting death of an unarmed…
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Randall Kerrick said that he was not able to remember the number of times he shot his weapon at the unarmed black man approximately two years ago.
The officer, 29-year-old Randall Kerrick, also said he had turned off his dashboard camera, in apparent violation of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department rules. He repeated warnings he said he gave to former Florida A&M football player Ferrell. He said he felt a jerk on his pistol. He was going to assault me.
Prosecutors say Kerrick overreacted when he killed Ferrell.
Three officers were called to the 7500 block of Reedy Creek Road in east Mecklenburg County around 2:30 that morning.
Channel 9 will have a team of reporters covering the Kerrick trial each day. The resident called police, and three officers responded. I wasn’t sure how many rounds I had fired none of them affected him in any way.
The exchanges between prosecutors and Kerrick have been tense today. Ferrell, 24, had crashed his vehicle in the neighborhood after smoking marijuana with a co-worker. The woman who lived there feared a home invasion and summoned authorities. Kerrick said officers had no information on whether Ferrell was armed. Little says it was after that that Ferrell ran toward Kerrick.
Harris wanted to know why Little pointed his Taser at Ferrell without identifying himself or giving him an order. Kerrick was the only officer who fired his gun.
Legal experts say it’s possible the defense could rest its case as soon as Kerrick’s testimony is complete.
If convicted, Kerrick could face up to 11 years in prison.
Ferrell, according to Kerrick, was 5 feet away from Little when the officer fired the stun gun.
But Kerrick said Thursday there was no time to holster the gun, as Ferrell was coming too quickly. Kerrick was able to connect and gain sympathy from the jury.
“If 3 to 5 feet was the truth, did you think it was important to tell (detectives)?” Postell asked.
Even if there were time, Kerrick said he would have kept the gun out because of the threat Ferrell posed.
Teresa Postell questioning Randall Kerrick.
“You had them step out of the door”, she said.
“How loud were your commands?” his lawyer asked.
Kerrick apologized for the error but added, “I was in a fight for my life”. “I’m sorry if there are a few inconsistencies”. Throughout the trial, Kerrick’s attorneys have argued that CMPD tells officers different things.
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“Tears do not justify shooting someone unarmed 10 times or letting the gun go off 12 times”.
