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Kerrick Trial - Day 18 - August 13

By Mark Becker, wsoctv.com
By Mark Becker, wsoctv.com

What to know:

  • Randall "Wes" Kerrick is accused of shooting and killing unarmed Jonathan Ferrell in September 2013.
  • Kerrick faces up to 11 years in prison if convicted.
  • Dash cam video from Officer Neal's cruiser was released last week.

KERRICK TRIAL ARCHIVE

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Officer Randall "Wes" Kerrick is charged with voluntary manslaughter in the shooting death of unarmed black man Jonathan Ferrell in 2013.

5:05 p.m. update: Officer Randall Wes Kerrick choked up as he spoke about his family and for a moment the jury would see the human side of the police officer charged with killing Jonathan Ferrell.

His attorney Mike Greene carefully walked Kerrick through his career as a police officer and asked Kerrick to step down out of the witness box and show his uniform to the jury.

The questions would inevitably turn to the night Kerrick confronted Jonathan Ferrell and fired the fatal shots.

https://twitter.com/BlakeWSOC9/status/631932046076715008

“I heard some loud grunting noises from the pool house road and I kind of ignored it at first,” Kerrick said.

Kerrick said he had a description of the suspect in the possible burglary and he choked up again as he talked about seeing Jonathan Ferrell for the first time.

  • CLICK PLAY: Watch Kerrick on the stand

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“The suspect just continued to advance on Officer Little,” Kerrick said.

Kerrick stepped out of the witness box again to show jurors on a diagram  exactly where the final, fatal confrontation happened as he set the stage for what he saw and heard in those few frantic seconds.

https://twitter.com/BlakeWSOC9/status/631929645777162240

3:01 p.m. update: The defense called Randall 'Wes' Kerrick to testify in his own defense Thursday afternoon.

https://twitter.com/BlakeWSOC9/status/631903357007974400

12:02 p.m. update: The defense called Officer Thornell Little to the stand Thursday and his testimony appeared to back up what they have been saying that Jonathan Ferrell was acting erratically and that Little and Kerrick felt threatened when he ran at them.

Little was on the stand for more than an hour and described the events in short answers to defense attorney Mike Greene's questions. He told the story, starting with what Little heard Ferrell saying as he walked toward him.

“He walks towards me and I hear him say shoot me, twice,” Little said.

https://twitter.com/jimbradleyWSOC9/status/631852639999946752

“What does the suspect do at that point?” Greene asked.

“He runs  and he runs at Officer Kerrick,” Little said.

“How would you describe his pace?” Greene asked.

“It was full speed, like a bull rush, like a bum rush type of run,” Little said.

https://twitter.com/MarkBeckerWSOC9/status/631839778837766144

“What did you see next?” Greene asked.

“I saw a muzzle flash from Officer Kerrick's weapon,” Little said.

5:54 a.m. UPDATE: More experts and police officers are expected to testify for the defense in the trial of suspended CMPD officer Randall "Wes" Kerrick, and Kerrick's lawyers said their client will take the stand in his defense.

Testimony is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. Thursday. It was cut 30 minutes short Wednesday after a defense witness wasn't available.

So far, the defense has attempted to show how conflicts have arisen in how Charlotte-Mecklenburg police are trained. But a defense witness testified Wednesday that lethal force should be a last resort when a suspect doesn't have a weapon visible to officers.

RELATED: CMPD captain says Kerrick was not justified in firing weapon

Channel 9’s legal experts say Kerrick's testimony could be key in convincing the jury he acted in self-defense when he shot Ferrell, who was unarmed.

Jurors heard audio Wednesday from dispatchers on September 14, 2013, as Kerrick and fellow officers raced to the scene. In that recording, a dispatcher said a suspect kicked a door in -- but that never happened.

A few seconds later, officers encountered Ferrell.

Within the next few days, Kerrick could take the stand to recount his version of events that night and legal expert James Wyatt said there will be a great deal of pressure on the officer to convince the jury he was justified when he shot and killed Ferrell.

"His testimony obviously needs to be consistent with the video interview right after the incident. Secondly, he's got to come across as sincere and an honest person," Wyatt said.

The defense has not said exactly when Kerrick will take the stand, but meantime, the judge has denied a defense request to allow jurors to visit the scene of the shooting.

  • WATCH a condensed version of the dash cam video released for the first time in the trial:

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TIMELINE: Police detail of events in officer-involved shooting

Kerrick case background

Randall "Wes" Kerrick is accused of shooting and killing unarmed Jonathan Ferrell on Sept. 14, 2013.

Three officers were called to the 7500 block of Reedy Creek Road in east Mecklenburg County around 2:30 that morning. A woman told police Ferrell was banging on her front door.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said Ferrell ran toward the officers when they arrived. One of the officers deployed his Taser, but it was unsuccessful. Kerrick fired his weapon 12 times at close range. Ten of the shots hit Ferrell, killing him.

Police later discovered a wrecked car that Ferrell was driving about 500 yards away. Officers say Ferrell was unarmed.

Around 9:30 p.m. Sept. 14, 2013, Kerrick was charged with voluntary manslaughter, marking the first time an officer in Charlotte had been charged with manslaughter for actions on duty.

Kerrick was released from jail on a $50,000 bond. He remains suspended without pay from CMPD.

Ferrell, a former football player at Florida A&M University, was living in Charlotte with his fiancée. A toxicology report released in November showed Ferrell had 60 mg/dl of ethanol in his system, equal to a .06 if blown during a DWI check point. The legal limit in North Carolina is .08.

The Ferrell family filed a civil suit against the city, county, CMPD and former Police Chief Rodney Monroe on Jan. 14, 2014. The suit was settled in May 2015 for $2.25 million.

George Laughrun and Michael J. Greene will represent Kerrick. His attorneys were hired by the Fraternal Order of Police.

Recent stories:

Channel 9 will have a team of reporters covering the Kerrick trial each day. Follow @wsoctv on Twitter for continuous updates.

Twitter handles for reporters who will be covering the trial:

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