WELL, SHOOT... JUST SHOOT

[HairOfTheDog]

You'll find a way to blame this on the man who was shot down like a rabid dog.

Luckily, those in charge at the Charlotte PD aren't even attempting to justify Ferrell being shot 10 times or to blame the victim.

They admit that the cop, who was promoted from the animal control unit two years ago, was wrong and they've already undoubtedly talked to the other officers who were on the scene. It's very rare to see a cop who fires his gun on-duty get arrested and charged with a felony so quickly; there's a reason for it.

Whether Ferrell was drunk or high doesn't matter (toxicology is pending as part of standard autopsy). Three cops, one unarmed guy - 12 shots fired as one of the first courses of action. Inexcusable, IMO.

Snip:
After a tearful meeting with Chief Rodney Moore of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, Mr. Ferrell’s mother applauded the city for quickly charging the officer who fired the shots with voluntary manslaughter.

“There is no justification of it and, frankly, to the chief’s credit, he didn’t offer one,” said Chris Chestnut, the family’s lawyer. “This is a bad cop in an otherwise respectable police department.”

“...I will tell you this isn’t a Charlotte Police Department problem,” Mr. Chestnut said. “It’s a glaring example that there are folks with guns and badges in America that lack discernment and intelligence and judgment.”

Mr. Ferrell, a former safety with Florida A&M University, had recently moved to Charlotte to be with his fiancée, a woman he had been dating since high school. He was working two retail jobs and thinking about going back to school.

Mr. Ferrell’s family, who had traveled to Charlotte from Tallahassee, Fla., spoke of forgiveness but would not say whether they thought a more severe charge should have been leveled.

“He took my son from me, but I can only stand here and tell you that I believe God is the one listening to me right now and God would want me to forgive,” she said. “If I don’t forgive, it will be on me forever.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/17/us/ask....html?_r=0