The white Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer on trial for the shooting death of an unarmed black man says he kept shooting at the man because the man kept charging toward him.
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Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officer Randall “Wes” Kerrick is charged with voluntary manslaughter in the September 14, 2013, killing of Ferrell, who had wrecked his auto, gone to a nearby house and banged on the door, apparently for help. Officer Little said in 13 years it was his first time he fired his Taser, because Ferrell’s “behavior was erratic”. No matter what I did he wouldn’t stop.
On Thursday, Little testified that when he first saw Ferrell, he was pacing and hitting his thighs with his hands.
Kerrick was on the witness stand for the second day on Friday.
During other testimony earlier in the trial, fellow officers testified that Kerrick told them he was afraid for his life and that he thought Jonathan Ferrell was going to try to take his gun. “Tears do not bring back an innocent person who was trying to be somebody positive”, Willie Ferrell, Jonathan’s brother, said. The resident called police, and three officers responded.
From “an arm’s length” away, Kerrick fired at Ferrell 12 times. He was going to take my gun from me.
“I thought I was going to die because I could do nothing that would stop him”, Kerrick said.
Kerrick testified that he left the home to back up Officer Thornell Little, who went to check on “grunting and screaming” noises that they had heard coming from the road. Officer Little also testified that Ferrell said “shoot me” two times, but was not able to identify when it was said during the dashcam video from Officer Adam Neal’s vehicle. Kerrick was the only officer who fired his gun.
Ferrell then charged at Kerrick at “full speed, like a bull rush, like a bum-rush type of run”, Little said.
He gave emotional testimony Thursday about the night he shot and killed an unarmed man.
An objection by prosecutors to the fact that Osorio was the third successive witness to testify about Little’s recollection led Judge Richard Ervin to send the jury out of the courtroom.
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On redirect, Michael Greene asked Little if things happen that were not on the video.
