But Kerrick testified Thursday that Ferrell’s shoulders were at his waist, which would have put the dead man’s head at Kerrick’s abdomen or chest and within reach of the officer’s gun.
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Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Officer Randall Kerrick listens to testimony, Thursday, August 13, 2015, in Charlotte, N.C., during his voluntary manslaughter trial, Wednesday, August 12, 2015 in Charlotte…
Questioned by prosecutors, Kerrick acknowledged that he did not attempt to dodge the victim, 24-year-old Jonathan Ferrell, or try to subdue him with his baton or his hands as Ferrell ran toward police or when the two had fallen into a drainage ditch.
After falling onto the ground, Kerrick said he felt a “tug” on his gun as Ferrell struck him.
Ferrell’s death happened a little less than a year before an unarmed black man in New York and an unarmed 18-year-old black male in Ferguson, Missouri, died after separate violent encounters with police cases that shined a national spotlight on how police departments treat minorities and sparked calls for widespread reforms.
The white North Carolina police officer accused in the shooting death of an unarmed black man has told a jury about his police training, but has not yet given his version of the events that transpired that night.
“I thought I was going to die”. “He could have gotten to my weapon and taken it from me”.
For more than 90 minutes, Kerrick, 29, dominated his own voluntary-manslaughter trial.
The emotional Charlotte-Mecklenburg will continue his testimony on Friday when the trial resumes.
He said even when he freed himself after Ferrell fell on his lower legs, he kept his gun trained on him because Ferrell was still moving.
And that could make the jury believe his story.
Postell kept returning to the point that Ferrell was unarmed.
Kerrick said he shouted at Ferrell to get on the ground. Authorities said he’d crashed his vehicle in the early morning hours after a night out with friends. “I didn’t know if he had a weapon anywhere on him at all”.
The prosecution then highlighted key differences between what Kerrick is saying now in court and what he told detectives two years ago right after the shooting. He said he told Ferrell to stop as he approached.
Using the dashcam video of the scene from another officer’s auto, Harris challenged Little’s testimony.
“I guess around where his head would be”.
In the witness stand, Little watched as Ferrell appeared and walked casually toward Little’s vehicle. “Little deployed his Taser”. Under questioning by Postell, however, he acknowledged that his command came after Little had fired his Taser at Ferrell.
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“You have to not be the aggressor, you have to have fear for your life, or the life of someone else”.
