Prosecutors say Randall Kerrick fatally shot 24-year-old Jonathan Ferrell, a former Florida A&M football player, on September 14, 2013.
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Kerrick now faces eleven years in prison if convicted of killing Jonathan Ferrell in what Charlotte-Mecklenburg police ruled an unjustified shooting.
One of his defense attorneys, Michael Greene, told Judge Robert Ervin that prosecutors have described Ferrell as an “unarmed black man” looking for help.
Jury selection is expected to take several days with the Superior Court trial forecast to last several weeks.
Charlotte Observer attorney Jon Buchan filed a motion asking that the finished questionnaires be made public. And there were widespread protests in Baltimore after the death of a black man who was severely injured while in police custody.
Police charged Kerrick, 29, with voluntary manslaughter within hours of the shooting. It was the first time a Mecklenburg County police officer was charged in connection with an on-duty shooting in 30 years.
Authorities say Ferrell was involved in a vehicle accident and went to a house, apparently seeking help. The homeowner may have mistaken Ferrell for a burglar and called police. Of the three officers who responded, only Kerrick fired his gun, hitting Ferrell 10 times. But he said they would prove that was not the case.
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. Shoot me”.
Ferrell’s family spoke at an 11 a.m. news conference expressing their importance for national change in policing policies.
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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Two requests to move the trial out of Charlotte have been denied.
