WELL, SHOOT... JUST SHOOT

[HairOfTheDog]

Jonathan A. Ferrell, 24, shot to death by on-duty police officer. RIP.


Randall Kerrick, police officer - arrested for voluntary manslaughter.

UPDATE TO ^ OP CASE

The judge denied a defense motion to move the voluntary manslaughter trial of former Officer Kerrick. The trial is expected to begin in July.

The prosecution and defense also discussed other motions, offering a window into how they intend to approach the case.

Prosecutors say the shooting was a case of excessive force, while defense attorneys say Kerrick acted in self-defense.

George Laughrun, one of Kerrick's attorneys said the testimony will show that Ferrell had been smoking marijuana and drinking before the crash, and that when he approached another officer he shouted: "Shoot me. Shoot me." "There will be no witness who says Ferrell was trying to get help. He was disoriented because of the accident and alcohol he consumed," he said.

Refs:
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/lo...65083.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/judge-office...-be-moved/
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Personally, it's hard for me to believe that a man who was engaged to his high school sweetheart, working two jobs while attending college, and had no police record or known history of mental illness was looking to commit suicide by cop following a fun night out with his work friends.

The fact that the autopsy report shows that Ferrell's BAL was well below the legal limit (.06) and he had no illegal drugs in his system makes the Defense's reported strategy seem even less convincing.

But, I'm anxious to hear/see all of the evidence in court - specifically the dash cam video and the sealed testimony of the other two officers at the scene with Kerrick. All we know about them is that they were black and they did not fire their weapons.