Mistrial declared in Jonathan Ferrell case

A mistrial has been declared in the manslaughter case of Officer Randall Kerrick, who fatally shot college football player Jonathan Ferrell.

A jury couldn’t come up with a decision and as a result, Superior Court Judge Robert Ervin on Friday afternoon declared a mistrial.

His decision was not surprising, given the revelation that the jurors’ vote counts were consecutively 7-5, 8-4 and 8-4, without indicating which way the sides were voting. They were considering a felony voluntary manslaughter charge, which involves someone either using excessive force in self-defense or shooting without the intent to kill.

At around 4:15 p.m. ET. the jury foreman told Judge Richard C. Ervin that the panel was deadlocked. Ervin asked if it would help if they broke for the weekend and returned on Monday, but the jury, in a show of hands, indicated it could go no further.

As the courtroom emptied, Kerrick, who faced up to 11 years in prison, remained with his lawyers, looking relieved but unsmiling.

His fate still rests with prosecutors, who must decide whether to seek another trial.

What this means is the voluntary manslaughter charge against Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer Randall “Wes” Kerrick remains open.

Jonathan Ferrell was shot and killed by Officer Kerrick after he approached the officer when they responded to an attempted robbery call. Ferrell crawled from a wrecked car and staggered to a nearby house for help. A woman inside called 911 to report a possible break-in. Kerrick and two other officers with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department responded to the scene.

Police dashcam footage showed officers pointing Tasers at Ferrell, who then ran. Kerrick, who’d been an officer for three years, stood in his path. He shouted for Ferrell to get on the ground, then shot Ferrell 10 times. Kerrick said he feared Ferrell was going to hurt him when he opened fire.

Authorities charged Kerrick with manslaughter hours after the shooting.

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