Police officer who 'shot dead unarmed man who was seeking help after car wreck' is charged with manslaughter

Jonathan Ferrell appears to have crashed his car down an embankment about 2:30 a.m. and then knocked on the door of a nearby residence looking for help shortly after

The homeowner opened the door thinking it was her husband. When she realized it was 24-year-old Ferrell - a stranger - she closed the door and called 911

When police arrived, authorities claim Ferrell charged officers before one of them shot him several times

A North Carolina police officer who authorities say fatally shot an unarmed man as he sought assistance after he crashed his vehicle early Saturday morning has been charged with voluntary manslaughter in the man's death.

Authorities in Charlotte say former Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University football player Jonathan Ferrell appears to have crashed his car down an embankment about 2:30 a.m. and then knocked on the door of a nearby residence shortly after looking for help.

The homeowner opened the door thinking it was her husband. When she realized it was 24-year-old Ferrell - a stranger - she closed the door and called 911, according to reports.



'Killer': Authorities say Officer Randall Kerrick shot an unarmed man who may have needed help after an auto accident

When officers arrived, they found Ferrell a short distance from the home, and he matched a description given by the homeowner, police said.



The statement said officers approached Ferrell to investigate the original call. Ferrell ran toward the officers and one officer fired a taser, however it failed to discharge, police said.



Ferrell continued to run toward police when Officer Randall Kerrick, 27, fired his weapon, hitting Ferrell several times, accord ing to WSOC . Fe rrell was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities said Kerrick fired his weapon with 'excessive' and 'unlawful' force.



Victim: 24-year-old Jonathan Ferrell may have been seeking help when he was shot by police

A wrecked vehicle was later discovered in woods nearby.

'We believe that vehicle belonged to the individual who was shot. It's quite possible he was seeking assistance. Based on his accident, it was a pretty serious accident,' Monroe said.



Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Rodney Monroe said the accident was so serious Ferrell would have been forced to climb out of the back window of the vehicle, WSOC reported. He apparently walked to the nearest house and banged on the door.



Monroe told a news conference that he didn't think Ferrell was trying to rob the woman.



'I don't believe threats were made,' the chief said.

The former Florida A&M University football player had recently moved to the area.



Monroe also said he had spoken with Kerrick.



Help: Authorities believe Ferrell knocked on this door looking for help. The homeowner called 911

'He is pretty shook up,' the chief said. 'He's devastated.'



Kerrick has been with Charlotte-Mecklenburg police since April 2011.



Monroe said at a news conference that Kerrick was in custody. Police say he was charged with voluntary manslaughter after an investigation found that the shooting was excessive. He handed himself in on Saturday.

'The evidence revealed that Mr Ferrell did advance on Officer Kerrick and the investigation showed that the subsequent shooting of Mr Ferrell was excessive,' police said in a statement issued late Saturday.



'Our investigation has shown that Officer Kerrick did not have a lawful right to discharge his weapon during this encounter.'



Two other officers at the scene have been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of a probe into the shooting, according to the station.

Monroe said his heart went out to the victim's loved ones.

'My hearts goes out to the Ferrell family, quite naturally, as well as the main members of the CMPD family,' he said. 'This is never something easy to deal with, never something easy for us to quite grasp, but we are going to rise form this as we have from other things.'

FAMU interim athletic director Michael Smith confirmed that Ferrell played the safety position for the Rattlers in 2009-10.

