NAACP Chapter Calls for Murder Charges in NC Police Shooting of Unarmed Man

Officer currently facing voluntary manslaughter charges

The NAACP chapter of Charlotte, N.C., is calling for murder charges in the case of an unarmed black 24-year-old, who was shot and killed by a police officer after what authorities believe may have been an attempt to seek help for a car accident.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Officer Randall Kerrick fired multiple shots into Jonathan Ferrell, a former Florida A&M University student who played on the 2010 championship football team. After being involved in a single-car wreck late Friday night, Ferrell went to a nearby house, presumably to get help. The woman who lived there, however, thought he was trying to break in and called 911. When three officers arrived at the scene early Saturday morning, Kerrick shot and killed Ferrell as he was running toward them. The chief of Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said another officer first tried to shoot Ferrell with a Taser gun, but missed.

After turning himself in Saturday afternoon, Kerrick was charged with voluntary manslaughter, a felony that means the offender didn't have prior intent to kill, but acted in the heat of the moment. He was released Sunday on a $50,000 bond.