Jury selection in fatal North Carolina police shooting

A barber who was deeply affected by the violence in Ferguson, Missouri, past year is hoping his efforts to open dialogue between the black community and Charlotte-Mecklenburg police will help maintain calm before an ex-officer stands trial in the shooting death of an unarmed black man.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said Ferrell ran toward the officers when they arrived.

Randall Kerrick is charged with voluntary manslaughter in the September, 2013, death of 24-year-old Jonathan Ferrell, a former Florida A&M football player.

Three officers responded to the call, but Kerrick was the only one who fired his gun. While prosecutors say it was obvious Ferrell was not armed, Kerrick’s defense attorneys say that wasn’t clear. One of the officers deployed his Taser, but it was unsuccessful. A grand jury indicted Kerrick in January 2014. And there was rioting in Baltimore after the death of a black man who was severely injured while in police custody. In May, the city of Charlotte agreed to pay Ferrell’s family $2.25 million in a civil settlement.

Jury selection is expected to take several days with the Superior Court trial forecast to last several weeks.

A toxicology report found no traces of drugs in Ferrell’s system and a blood-alcohol level below the legal limit for driving.