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.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Officer Randall "Wes" Kerrick is charged with voluntary manslaughter in the shooting death of unarmed black man Jonathan Ferrell in 2013.
4:23 p.m. update: For the second time, Officer Randall "Wes" Kerrick walked to the witness stand Friday morning to tell the jury what happened the night he shot Jonathan Ferrell.
Prosecutor Teresa Postell launched into a blistering cross examination, suggesting to Kerrick that he might not have told the truth on the stand Thursday.
“Do you want to take a minute and think about what you told this jury since you came in here yesterday and make any changes?” she asked.
Kerrick responded he did not.
https://twitter.com/MarkBeckerWSOC9/status/632258161890734080
Postell then proceeded to point out several things Kerrick said on the stand Thursday that were different from what he told detectives when they interview him just hours after the shooting.
“This was taken a few minutes after a fight for my life,” Kerrick said. “I’m sorry if there are a few inconsistencies.”
Kerrick appeared to be on the verge of cracking several times, but Postell pushed on. At one point, she showed him his duty belt with a baton and Taser – weapons he chose not to use.
“You did not try to fight or punch or trip or grapple with Jonathan, right?” Postell asked.
"No ma'am I did not,” Kerrick said.
“He was still trying to come towards you, even though he was doing a belly crawl on his stomach, right?” Postell asked.
“Yes ma'am, that's correct,” Kerrick said.
“He was dying, wasn't he?” Postell asked.
“He was still advancing towards me at this time,” Kerrick said.
12:06 p.m. update: Randall "Wes" Kerrick got a chance to tell his story to the jury Thursday. He told them he shot Jonathan Ferrell because he was afraid he was going to die.
He knew he would face tough questions from the prosecutor this morning and she did not disappoint.
https://twitter.com/jimbradleyWSOC9/status/632221402347778048
Kerrick walked to the stand a little bit after 9:30 Friday and his attorney had a few more questions for him.
He asked why Kerrick took the stand and Kerrick said to tell the truth.
He asked if there was any way Kerrick saw to avoid shooting Ferrell and Kerrick said there was nothing else I could do.
- FOLLOW Mark Becker and Jim Bradley on Twitter for updates.
Then prosecutor Teresa Postell set the tone for her cross examination by going straight to the heart of the case by asking Kerrick when he yelled at Ferrell to stop and why he kept firing as he backed up and then fell backward into a ditch.
“Ma'am this all happened in seven seconds,” Kerrick said. “I did what I could to keep distance between myself and the suspect so I could assess the situation.”
11:05 p.m. update: Brief break during the cross examination of Randall "Wes" Kerrick.
When the prosecutor asked about shooting Ferrell 10 times, Kerrick said he had no idea any of the shots hit him until the last round.
https://twitter.com/MarkBeckerWSOC9/status/632200284308119552
Kerrick said the whole incident happened in seven seconds.
As the prosecutor grilled Kerrick on his story, he said it was four hours after he was in a fight for his life.
“I’m sorry if there are some inconsistencies,” he said.
9:59 p.m. update: The state has started a cross-examination of Kerrick.
https://twitter.com/MarkBeckerWSOC9/status/632189533736554496
9:54 p.m. update: The defense attorney asked Kerrick early Friday morning if there was anything he could have done to prevent what happened the night Ferrell was shot and killed.
Kerrick responded, "No, sir."
https://twitter.com/MarkBeckerWSOC9/status/632186299550711812
The defense played part of Kerrick's dash cam video. He turned it off once he got to the scene.
CMPD officer Randall "Wes" Kerrick will take the stand again Friday morning.
He gave emotional testimony Thursday about the night he shot and killed an unarmed man.
https://twitter.com/AngelaWSOC9/status/632133063850479616
Kerrick told jurors he couldn't tell if Jonathan Ferrell was armed and thought if he didn't fire he was going to die. He kept firing on the ground, because he said the attack wasn't over.
While experts said Kerrick's testimony could convince the jury, it now exposes him to the prosecution.
"They're going to try to point out inconsistencies or create inconsistencies in what he says to the jury, what he says in the video to show that he's not being truthful,” legal expert James Wyatt said.
Members of Ferrell’s family were in the courtroom as Kerrick gave his emotional testimony.
When Kerrick shed tears while on the stand, Ferrell's family questioned his sincerity.
“Tears do not justify shooting someone unarmed 10 times or letting the gun go off 12 times. Tears do not justify anything like that. Tears do not bring back an innocent person who was trying to be somebody positive,” Willie Ferrell, Jonathan’s brother, said.
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.
- SPECIAL SECTION: Kerrick Trial
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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:
- Mark Becker - @MarkBeckerWSOC9
- Jim Bradley - @jimbradleyWSOC9
- Blake Hanson - @BlakeWSOC9