As two red laser dots from stun guns flashed on his chest, Jonathan Ferrell hitched up his pants and held out his arms to show officers he was unarmed, his family's attorney told the Charlotte Observer. Ferrell then ran sideways on a dark road in in Charlotte on Saturday, and there were three quick volleys of gunshots. Officer Randall Kerrick fired his gun 12 times, hitting Ferrell 10 times. Ferrell, 24, died at the scene.
Kerrick, one of three officers who confronted the former college football player, was charged with voluntary manslaughter. Tjhe widely publicized incident began when Ferrell crashed his car and looked for help at a home about one-quarter mile away. A woman who saw him at the door thought he was a robber and dialed 911. Lawyer Chris Chestnut said footage from a police cruiser’s dashboard camera shows Ferrell, who played for Florida A&M and had recently moved to Charlotte, was not a deadly threat and that the shooting was unjustified. Kerrick's attorney, Michael Greene, said Kerrick's decision to shoot was legal. Greene could not immediately be reached Tuesday to comment about the video.