Trial Begins for Randall Kerrick, Officer Who Shot Jonathan A. Ferrell After

The manslaughter trial of a white North Carolina police officer who fatally shot an unarmed black man is set to begin, with the jury selection process beginning Monday.

Kerrick has been charged with voluntary manslaughter in the shooting death of Jonathan Ferrell in September 2013.

Rodney Moore, who was the Police Chief at the time of the incident, said Kerrick used excessive force and his arrest was warranted.

Defense attorneys have been twice denied change of venue motions, saying the pretrial publicity would be just as likely to have been seen in the neighboring counties of Charlotte as well.

Shaun Corbett said watching television coverage of the reaction to a grand jury’s decision not to indict a police officer in the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson convinced him to do something to prevent violence in Charlotte.

One of his defense attorneys, Michael Greene, told Judge Robert Ervin that prosecutors have described Ferrell as an “unarmed black man” looking for help. In the past few months, several high-profile cases have fueled the issue. The homeowner may have mistaken Ferrell for a burglar and called police. When Charlotte-Mecklenburg police arrived on the scene responding to calls from individuals in the neighborhood, Ferrell ran towards them for help. Ferrell was shot 10 times after police responded to a report of a possible home invasion.

At several earlier hearings, prosecutors and defense attorneys gave a glimpse of how they plan to approach the case.

George Laughrun, one of Kerrick’s attorneys, said the testimony will show Ferrell had been smoking marijuana and drinking before the crash and that when he approached another officer he shouted, “Shoot me”.

NewsOne Now panelist Avis Jones DeWeever said there is absolutely “no excuse” for the shooting of Ferrell: “This needs to be a guilty verdict”. In May, the city of Charlotte agreed to pay Ferrell’s family $2.25 million in a civil settlement.