The story was about one particular case — a sad one, to be sure – but one that involved individuals, each with a name and story. When Jonathan Ferrell was killed in Charlotte, N.C., nearly two weeks ago, it shattered his family –which is now planning his Saturday funeral in Tallahassee, Fla.– and forever affected the life of the police officer accused of voluntary manslaughter in his death, no matter the verdict in his trial.
Many in a community that prides itself on getting along are asking questions and demanding changes – including a strengthened Citizens Review Board – to prevent a repeat of what happened.
Yet for many who commented on my story and NPR appearance that laid out the facts as they are now known, the case is already closed. For them, the woman who responded to Ferrell’s post-car accident knock on her door for help in the middle of the night with a frantic 911 call about a robber was making the only logical assumption. And Officer Randall Kerrick’s decision to fire 12 times at Ferrell, who police say was coming toward him, was more than justified. No more fact-finding is necessary, according to the critics of the charges filed against the officer.
The people that should be made to answer for the death of the unarmed Ferrell are black men – all of them, they told me.
