North Carolina Officer Stands Trial for Shooting Unarmed Black Man

“I thought I was going to die”.

“I had absolutely no idea whether he had a weapon on him or not”, Kerrick said.

“… I don’t know how many rounds I fired”.

For more than 90 minutes, Kerrick, 29, dominated his own voluntary-manslaughter trial. The police were in the Bradfield Farms neighborhood responding to a reported break-in at a woman’s house. She called 911. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Officer Randall Kerrick listens to testimony, Thursday, August 13, 2015, in Charlotte, N.C., during his voluntary manslaughter trial, Wednesday, August 12, 2015 in Charlotte…

Little says he gave Ferrell the command to stop, but that wasn’t heard on the dashcam video, either. Three seconds elapse from his first order to his first shot.

Legal experts say it’s possible the defense could rest its case as soon as Kerrick’s testimony is complete.

When Kerrick shed tears while on the stand, Ferrell’s family questioned his sincerity. Little says it was after that that Ferrell ran toward Kerrick. Kerrick said he didn’t want to alert the suspect that he had arrived, for fear the person would flee. In it, the red dots from Little’s Taser lights are visible, but there’s nothing on the audio portion to suggest that Ferrell asked the officer to shoot him.

But even then Ferrell wouldn’t let up.

As Ferrell continued advancing on him, Kerrick said he backpedaled about 20 feet.

Kerrick described Ferrell’s pace as a fast walk. He is charged in the September 2013 shooting death of Jonathan Ferrell.

He gave emotional testimony Thursday about the night he shot and killed an unarmed man.

“How did you interpret his body language?”

“He was going to attack me”. “He kept trying to get my gun”. Kerrick said officers had no information on whether Ferrell was armed.

Kerrick was called to the stand around around 3 p.m.

Kerrick fired 12 times at Ferrell, striking him 10 times, according to trial evidence.

After pulling onto a road to the neighborhood pool, the officers encountered Ferrell. Both men landed in a ditch.

Kerrick’s defense lawyer said Ferrell’s DNA was discovered on the officer’s gun and beneath his fingernails. The only way to break free was to fire again, Kerrick said. Kerrick said he pulled his gun to back up Little because the Taser didn’t stop Ferrell. Kerrick, who joined the police force in April 2011, later turned himself in.