Video: Protests Break Out in Charlotte Following Mistrial in Officer-Involved Shooting Case

Protests broke out in the center city area of Charlotte over the weekend following a mistrial Friday in the case of a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer accused in the shooting death of an unarmed man.

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VIDEO: Protests Break Out in Charlotte Following Mistrial in Officer-Involved Shooting Case/a>

Protests broke out in the center city area of Charlotte over the weekend following a mistrial Friday in the case of a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer accused in the shooting death of an unarmed man.

Friday night there was a fight in the Charlotte Transit Terminal, and further tension in center city, where a minor league baseball game was occuring. Some protesters lay down in the streets, banged on cars, and yelled at fans from outside the stadium gates. Others threw rocks at police, and two people were arrested for assaulting an officer.

Protests continued Saturday and one man was arrested for assaulting an officer. The officer who was reportedly assaulted was not seriously injured, WSOC TV reports.

Kerrick was tried for voluntary manslaughter for the 2013 shooting and killing of Jonathan Ferrell, 24. Ferrell wrecked his car early in the morning outside of a residential neighborhood. He walked to a house and knocked on the door. The woman inside who was home with her baby thought Ferrell was her husband returning home from work, who was knocking on the door because he had forgotten his keys. She opened the door, saw Ferrell and slammed it shut. Ferrell pounded on the door as she went back into the house to call 911. Officers believed a home invasion was under way and three cars responded to the call.

When the three officers arrived, Ferrell walked toward them. Footage from one patrol car’s in-car video system, shows Ferrell slowly approached the officers, and then began running toward them. Once out of the camera’s vantage point, Ferrell was shot 10 times by Kerrick, who repeatedly ordered the former college football player to get down.

In the trial, the jury was deadlocked with eight voting for acquittal and four voting for conviction after four days of deliberation.

An online petition, asking the attorney general not to retry the case had been signed by more than 3,000 people by Sunday. There is also a petition demanding a retrial of Officer Kerrick.

 

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