Man Seeking Help From Police Shot, Killed By Officer
119 replies, posted
[QUOTE]Police in North Carolina shot and killed a man running toward them Saturday morning -- but he may have just been looking for help.
Officers responded to a 911 call of a suspicious man outside a woman's home in Charlotte.
The man had been knocking on her door repeatedly.
Police say that when they got there, a man matching the caller's description ran toward them.
One of the officers pulled out his stun gun, but it malfunctioned. Another officer then opened fire, police said.
Jonathan Ferrell died at the scene. He was shot several times.
He was unarmed.
Police now believe Ferrell was seeking assistance after crashing his car.
Police have charged Officer Randall Kerrick with voluntary manslaughter -- a felony. [URL="http://arrestinquiryweb.co.mecklenburg.nc.us/ArrestAndCharges.aspx?FirstName=RANDALL&MiddleName=WESLEY&LastName=KERRICK&PID=430651&ArrestNumber=1588140&PreviousSearch=&BrowseLastName=Kerrick&BrowseFirstName=randall&BrowsePID=&BrowseArrest=&BrowseArrestDate=&BrowseLastDayArrests=False"]He turned himself in[/URL] Saturday afternoon and was being held early Sunday on a $50,000 bond.
All three officers have been placed on paid leave.
A charge of voluntary manslaughter means the person used excessive force in self-defense, or carried out the act without intent to kill.
Friends expressed grief on social media, calling Ferrell a "brother" and demanding "justice."
His 25th birthday would have been next month.[/QUOTE]
[URL]http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/15/justice/north-carolina-police-shooting/[/URL]
At least the cop was sufficiently punished.
I sure hope he likes that desk 'cuz he's gonna be sitting at for a while.
What a morally ugly situation.
I mean, look at it from the officer's point of view. You see a man, who matches suspect description, running towards you. In all that confusion, your partner tries to use his tazer after -I assume, as it would be procedure- yelling him to stop. It malfunctions. Adrenalin 100%. What else can be thought and done in that moment?
What is the point of paid leave? You fucked up, take a month off on us.
-snip-
I can understand why, a guy comes running at you, you don't know if he's going to ask for help, or ring your neck. Horrible that a man had to die, but good on the cop for turning himself in.
[editline]15th September 2013[/editline]
[QUOTE=Sungrazer;42198517]What is the point of paid leave? You fucked up, take a month off on us.[/QUOTE]
If he's got a family, he'll need to support them. Not only that, he turned himself in, it's not like he tried to cover it up.
at least the cops turned himself in, you shouldn't run at the police especially if it seems like they're there for you.
Did they even said something to him before they shot him a bunch of times for no reason?
[QUOTE=Gatsby;42198566]Did they even said something to him before they shot him a bunch of times for no reason?[/QUOTE]
They likely told him to stop, but he may not have heard them.
I can kind of empathize with the cops. The guy could have easily pulled out a knife or something.
Its hard to really say much since there isn't much information to go on.
Damn, this is sad as hell for both sides.
[QUOTE=Moustacheman;42198572]They likely told him to stop, but he may not have heard them.[/QUOTE]
I still don't think it was reasonable to shoot a man just because he was running at you like the article but honestly I need more details before I make a good judgement. How close was he from the officer before he shot him? Must be pretty close if they attempted to use an stungun. Did they yell at him to stop? Was the guy holding anything that could be mistaken as an weapon? Did the guy said anything? What was the guy doing there after he called the police?
[editline]15th September 2013[/editline]
[QUOTE=Rangergxi;42198581]I can kind of empathize with the cops. The guy could have easily pulled out a knife or something.
Its hard to really say much since there isn't much information to go on.[/QUOTE]
Tbh running towards an group of cops would be the worst way to attack with an knife.
[QUOTE=Gatsby;42198606]I still don't think it was reasonable to shoot a man just because he was running at you like the article but honestly I need more details before I make a good judgement. How close was he from the officer before he shot him? Must be pretty close if they attempted to use an stungun. Did they yell at him to stop? Was the guy holding anything that could be mistaken as an weapon? Did the guy said anything? What was the guy doing there after he called the police?[/QUOTE]
Like I said earlier, when someone runs at you and your a cop, you don't know what they're going to do.
[QUOTE=Sungrazer;42198517]What is the point of paid leave? You fucked up, take a month off on us.[/QUOTE]
Paid leave is not a punishment. Paid leave is a temporary measure to get someone like this out of the spotlight, while they run an investigation to see what actually happened and what needs to be done.
It sucks for the everyone involved. You hear a lot of shit about triggerhappy American cops, but this genuinely sounds like a terrible misunderstanding. A family lost their son, and a police officer is going to have to live with murder. That isn't something you just shrug off.
[QUOTE=Moustacheman;42198618]Like I said earlier, when someone runs at you and your a cop, you don't know what they're going to do.[/QUOTE]
If you're a cop you don't know what some dude standing in front of you would do, or at an traffic stop. Which is why alot of cops are trained to touch the hood/trunk of a car while walking up to a driver in a traffic stop in case something happens.
[QUOTE=Gatsby;42198661]If you're a cop you don't know what some dude standing in front of you would do, or at an traffic stop. Which is why alot of cops are trained to touch the hood/trunk of a car while walking up to a driver in a traffic stop in case something happens.[/QUOTE]
If someone is running at you, in all likely-hood they're about to attack. I was in Afghanistan for four years, and if I'm on patrol and someone runs at me, I don't know their intent. I'm sure as hell going to point my gun, yell at them to stop, and fire if they don't.
[QUOTE=Gatsby;42198606]I still don't think it was reasonable to shoot a man just because he was running at you like the article but honestly I need more details before I make a good judgement. How close was he from the officer before he shot him? Must be pretty close if they attempted to use an stungun. Did they yell at him to stop? Was the guy holding anything that could be mistaken as an weapon? Did the guy said anything? What was the guy doing there after he called the police?
[editline]15th September 2013[/editline]
Tbh running towards an group of cops would be the worst way to attack with an knife.[/QUOTE]
[video=youtube;9igSoJHEdUo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9igSoJHEdUo[/video]
They will not allow him to close distance without knowing what he's up to. The knife can be hidden/concealed.
[QUOTE=Cutthecrap;42198694][video=youtube;9igSoJHEdUo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9igSoJHEdUo[/video]
They will not allow him to close distance without knowing what he's up to. The knife can be hidden/concealed.[/QUOTE]
Oh im not saying that somebody running towards a cop isnt harmless, im mean that they are just as dangerous as some guy walking to or standing in front a cop.
Did they need to shoot him several times?
So wait, the 911 call that started this was about him just knocking on someone's door? Who the fuck calls the police over someone knocking on your door?
[QUOTE=Valdread;42198756]Did they need to shoot him several times?[/QUOTE]
I'm a little concerned with this too. If someone is unarmed, I don't think they would even try to get any closer with their fists after being shot once. One bullet is usually enough to drop anyone in most cases.
[QUOTE=SlickBlade;42198874]I'm a little concerned with this too. If someone is unarmed, I don't think they would even try to get any closer with their fists after being shot once. One bullet is usually enough to drop anyone in most cases.[/QUOTE]
Sigh, it's the rule of double tap. Shoot to kill, and shoot twice in rapid succession to be sure.
It's basically drilled into the minds of police officers so it becomes a reflex.
[QUOTE=Jarokwa;42198830]People who have been doing business with the wrong kind of people and didn't keep to their promise.
Besides that, nobody.[/QUOTE]
I suppose if it was in a bad neighborhood, so to say, the story overall would make more sense. Police would be more on their toes hence the accident, and if someone I didn't recognize was knocking at my door in such a place I would freak out too, especially if it was a man and I was a woman.
[QUOTE=alexisgondor;42198784]So wait, the 911 call that started this was about him just knocking on someone's door? Who the fuck calls the police over someone knocking on your door?[/QUOTE]
Obviously the home owners were scared and thought the guy was a criminal.
[QUOTE=alexisgondor;42198784]So wait, the 911 call that started this was about him just knocking on someone's door? Who the fuck calls the police over someone knocking on your door?[/QUOTE]
Said he was in a crash, maybe he was bloodied, disorientated and more pounding the door instead of knocking. Him running at the officers and probably ignoring their warnings if they tried to tase him would be more evidence he wasn't entirely functioning right.
[QUOTE=SlickBlade;42198874]I'm a little concerned with this too. If someone is unarmed, I don't think they would even try to get any closer with their fists after being shot once. One bullet is usually enough to drop anyone in most cases.[/QUOTE]
All the shots where probably fired within one or two seconds, you don't have time to fire once and observe the effects.
[QUOTE=Arid;42199011]Said he was in a crash, maybe he was bloodied, disorientated and more pounding the door instead of knocking. Him running at the officers and probably ignoring their warnings if they tried to tase him would be more evidence he wasn't entirely functioning right.[/QUOTE]
Yep, dude were most likely in shock.
You can't think straight when that's happened to you.
You literally operate by reflexes, and in this case, he needed help probably both medically and also from law enforcement to help sort out the situation.
He probably though by reflex that the police officers would help him, not shoot him, nor than the person in the house would panic and call the cops instead of checking out what the hell were going on.
Bad decisions all around.
[QUOTE=deltasquid;42198890]Sigh, it's the rule of double tap. Shoot to kill, and shoot twice in rapid succession to be sure.
It's basically drilled into the minds of police officers so it becomes a reflex.[/QUOTE]
Actually police officers are the ones that aren't supposed to shoot to kill? Military peeps learn to shoot the cherst twice and once3 the head, no police officer should get that training, sicne they are only supposed to shoot to stop the suspect, not kill them.
[QUOTE=SEKCobra;42199071]Actually police officers are the ones that aren't supposed to shoot to kill? Military peeps learn to shoot the cherst twice and once3 the head, no police officer should get that training, sicne they are only supposed to shoot to stop the suspect, not kill them.[/QUOTE]
you never shoot a gun to stop anyone. every time you fire a gun you shoot to kill.
[editline]15th September 2013[/editline]
also if i can't shoot a man who is running towards me, an officer sure as hell shouldn't be allowed to do it.
he should get 2nd degree murder.
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