Jonathan Ferrell, a former safety at Florida A&M, was shot and killed by North Carolina police early Saturday morning, after seeking help after a car accident.
Ferrell was unarmed as he ran towards police who opened fire on the young man.
The officer who fired the fatal shots has been charged with manslaughter. Ferrell played for the Rattlers from 2009-10, and had recently moved to Charlotte.
The shooting happened around 2:00 am, and the details of the incident are still sketchy. According to reports, Ferrell got into a car accident early Saturday and attempted to get help by knocking on someone’s door.
The lady who answered the door apparently didn’t recognize Ferrell and assumed he was trying to break into her home.
The homeowner called police to report a burglary.
The officers who responded to the breaking-and-entering call found Ferrell a short distance from the home, police said. As they approached him, Ferrell started running towards the officers and was hit with a Taser.
Police said he continued to run toward them when officer Randall Kerrick fired his weapon, wounding Ferrell several times. Ferrell died at the scene.
Police initially called the shooting appropriate and lawful.
After some time had passed, and a investigation was performed, they said “the investigation showed that the subsequent shooting of Mr. Ferrell was excessive” and “Kerrick did not have a lawful right to discharge his weapon during this encounter.”
Kerrick, 27, of Midland, N.C., turned himself in for booking Saturday evening and was released on $50,000 bond, according to the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office website. Kerrick joined the police force in April 2011.