Eight jurors are women, four are men.
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The jury in the voluntary manslaughter trial of CMPD officer Randall Kerrick came in shortly after noon; the foreman reported that over three votes, only one person had changed their mind.
The jury foreman said the only thing the 12 members could agree on was that a unanimous decision could not be reached even if deliberations continued. Kerrick’s defense lawyers had no comment.
But when Judge Robert Ervin on Friday determined the jury was hopelessly deadlocked and declared a mistrial, numerous current and former rank-and-file officers who’d stood by Kerrick were relieved.
Outside the courthouse, a handful of protesters lay down in the middle of the street to protest the decision.
Asking for investigator Nichols’ crime scene report, which is a diagram of the scene, photos of Kerrick’s injuries, they asked if Ferrell is right handed or left handed, an essay Kerrick wrote to gain entry to the police academy and transcripts of Lieutenant Brady’s testimony.
Kerrick faced up to 11 years in prison.
Officer Randall Kerrick is charged with voluntary manslaughter in the September 2013 shooting death of Jonathan Ferrell, a former Florida A&M football player.
Kerrick’s case is one of the latest in which a police officer has been accused of using unjustified force against an unarmed black man. The killings have touched off a nationwide debate on race and policing. Video showed police officers formed a line across a street adjacent to the stadium. It’s not clear what happened, but Kerrick fired 12 shots, hitting Ferrell 10 times.
“The prosecutors did their best with what they had, but we’re convinced that in a new trial, additional facts will be brought out”, Chestnut said.
Police say that on that fateful day, Ferrell crashed his vehicle and went to a nearby house, banging on the door to seek help. “Jonathan Ferrell“, “justice for Jonathan”. “They held signs that said “#justiceforjonathanferrell”.
After the announcement, protesters promptly staged a “die in” in uptown Charlotte yelling “If we don’t get it, shut it down”. They argue Ferrell ran in Kerrick’s direction after fearing for his life when another officer deployed his taser, with red laser beams pointing at Ferrell’s chest. The decide declared a mistrial. He said nonlethal force should have been used to subdue Ferrell.
Throughout the trial, the Ferrell family called for peace from their supporters, a request they reinforced after Friday’s proceedings.
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Putney added that it’s not up to him to determine if Kerrick, now on unpaid administrative leave, can return to the force.
