“We must get justice”.
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Within moments of the mistrial, about a dozen protesters, whites and blacks, lay down with hands behind their backs and blocked traffic outside the courthouse on Fourth Street, chanting “No justice, no peace.”
There were peaceful protests immediately after the decision, but some of the protests turned aggressive Friday evening. But after four days of deliberations, a racially diverse jury of eight women and four men was unable to come to a decision over Kerrick’s guilt. The judge’s name is Robert Ervin, not Richard Ervin.
The judge asked the jury foreperson whether he thought they could reach a unanimous verdict if given more time.
Ervin told the jurors its “their duty to do whatever you can to reach a verdict” in this case.
Earlier Friday, defense attorney George Laughrun unsuccessfully argued for a mistrial based on the impasse.
The defense said they wanted a mistrial. Prosecutors will review the case and see if they should pursue it further.
Kerrick’s family left the courthouse without comment. A civil suit resulted in a $2.25 million settlement. Kerrick is suspended from the force without pay.
Two protestors were arrested and charged with assaulting police officers late Friday after a judge declared a mistrial in the case of a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer who shot and killed an unarmed black man in 2013. Some gathered at the city’s minor-league baseball stadium, shouting taunts and slogans at officers. “People should not be afraid to walk up to a police officer”. Some of the protesters wore masks and shouted at officers, but there were no confrontations at the time. At the urging of protesters, some motorists honked auto horns in support. Police officers, some seen grasping batons on video, stopped the protesters at one point from entering a covered transit center.
In addition to advocating for a retrial, Charlotte activists plan to push the city police department to clarify its use-of-force policies, which various officers’ testimonies revealed were unclear, Dawkins said.
According to CMPD, at about 9 p.m., the demonstrators began throwing rocks at officers patrolling the streets of uptown Charlotte.
And for many white jurors, their common sense which will be similar to that of Kerrick likely determines the outcome of their vote.
Kerrick opened fire at position “D” and fires his final shots with Ferrell on top of him at position “E”. When that did not work, Kerrick fired his weapon. He said Ferrell’s shoulders were at his waist. A Charlotte police captain testified that only non-lethal force should have been used, consistent with the actions of the other two officers on scene. Ferrell, a black former college football player, was unarmed.
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The case, which spurred outrage when it happened, followed the shooting death of black teen Trayvon Martin in Florida in 2012 and preceded the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014.
