Black Lives Matter: Where is Randall Kerrick now? Here's what happened to cop who killed Jonathan Ferrell in 2013
Jonathan Ferrell was just looking for help when he crashed his car in Charlotte, North Carolina on September 14, 2013. Instead, he was shot 10 times by Randall Kerrick, a Charlotte police officer. Kerrick was indicted by a jury for voluntary manslaughter but never ended up in jail or even a fine. Ferrell's family got what many African-American families have received and been receiving - money from the state but no admission of guilt or liability.
The shooting of Ferrell is being considered a textbook example of how law enforcement officials have been able to escape the rule of law. Kerrick escaped without any serious consequences, beyond losing his job. Like so many of his fellow officers, Kerrick seems to have slipped through the cracks and managed to get away without being held accountable. How did it come to this?
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Not only did Kerrick escape without being jailed or fined, but he received a handsome sum of $180 when he resigned, from the state too. What happened to Kerrick after that?
The shooting of Jonathan Ferrell
Ferrell was driving home after work when he crashed his car in the Bradfield Farms neighborhood of Charlotte. He knocked on the door of Sarah McCartney to ask for help. Instead, McCartney dialed 911, believing Ferrell was there to rob her. As the closest officer, Kerrick responded to the call. Ferell ran toward the officers, who attempted to subdue him with tasers first. When they failed, Kerrick opened fire on the unarmed man, killing him.
We will never know why Ferrell ran and accounts of the day vary. Whatever the reason, he was unarmed, so there was no need to use force. Kerrick's action led to his arrest less than 18 hours later by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD). He was charged with voluntary manslaughter, which could result in a prison sentence for up to 10 years if convicted. "The evidence revealed that Mr. Ferrell did advance on Officer Kerrick and the investigation showed that the subsequent shooting of Mr. Ferrell was excessive," the CMPD said at the time.
In January 2014, a grand jury declined to indict Kerrick. According to reports, the jury requested that the prosecutor submit a "bill of indictment to a lesser-included or related offense." The state Attorney General declined, a resubmitted the voluntary manslaughter charge. A second grand jury decided to indict Kerrick weeks later. However, when the case went to trial, no verdict could be reached. The jurors were stuck in an 8-4 deadlock, forcing the judge to declare a mistrial.
Kerrick's fate
Since being charged in 2013, Kerrick was suspended without pay. In May 2015, he reached an agreement with the city to resign from his job. Rather than being sacked, Kerry was handed a comfortable package of nearly $180,000 including backpay and legal fees. The agreement meant Kerrick would get his full salary, social security, 401(k) and retirement contributions. The city also agreed to pay $50,000 towards his legal fees despite explicitly saying that they wouldn't.
The Attorney General also declined to re-try the case. As a result, the justice Ferrell's family got was that the police officer left his job. The city also settled a case with the family and paid them $2.25 million over the death of Ferrell. What has happened to Kerrick after the trial? It's hard to know. The officer has quietly gone from public life.
Kerrick does not have any social media accounts, nor does his wife seem to have any public accounts. We have no clue where Kerrick went after leaving the CMPD. A 2020 study found that many officers fired for misconduct are often rehired by other smaller forces. Is that what happened to Kerrick? It is possible. Or, he could have returned to his roots in masonary. Kerrick may have been forgotten by the press and the general public, but not the Charlotte community.
Even seven years after Ferrell's death, the community marks September 14 every year. Friends and family come together every year to hold a memorial for Ferrell. Activist Jibril Hough told City Metro, "Before Black Lives Matter was at the stage it is now, Charlotte had Jonathan Ferrell."
