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Someone suggested if Ferrell didn't act aggressively he may have received help. If he didn't get in the accident maybe he wouldn't have acted aggressively or erratically.
Shame on Ferrell for getting in an accident and not shaking off the concussion or head trauma.
No one knows why he crashed right now, and it is certainly no one else's fault that he did crash.
How do you know he had a concussion or head trauma?
No one knows why he crashed right now, and it is certainly no one else's fault that he did crash.
How do you know he had a concussion or head trauma?
Because that, and that alone rationalizes his behavior that night. You see, Ferrell had zero responsibility for what happened that night. It was all a combination of police incompetence, racism and a cowboy attitude. As a matter of fact, anyone who would dare consider defending Officer Kerrick is a racist too. Oh, and the lady from the 911 call? Racist. The dispatcher? Racist as well. If you don't believe me, stroll around the internet- you'll see it all!
You know, it makes me take pause, and wonder, though; With more than 500 shootings in Chicago last year, and most of the victims black men and women, what is it going to take to enrage people about that situation? I know, it's easier to polarize the black community against what they perceive to be a racist white cop, but I guarantee you FAR more young black men died from black on black street crime than did at the hands of police in ANY year.
This was a chain of unfortunate events. Sadly, the events led to Mr. Ferrell's death. As I see it:
Mr. Ferrell was involved in an accident on Reedy Creek Rd. Based on the pictures of the accident scene, it appears that Mr. Ferrell missed a curve in the road, went through the grass for 100', or so, and crashed in to a wooded area. There don't appear to be any skid marks. There is nothing to indicate he swerved.
Based on reports by the Chief of Police, Mr. Ferrell's accident was so substantial, that he had to kick out the back window of the car, to escape it, apparently losing his shoes in the process. From the scene of the accident, Mr. Ferrell walked approximately 1/4 of a mile, to the home of ***** *******. Mr. Ferrell proceeded to bang on the door, presumable to awaken the sleeping homeowner. The homeowner, woken from a deep sleep, hears banging on her door, and assuming her husband, who works the night shift, forgot or misplaced his keys, opened the door, without seeing who was banging. Upon seeing not her husband, but a stranger, Mrs. ******* became frightened, and pushed the door closed. Clearly in an altered state of mind, Mr. Ferrell beats and kicks the door, while yelling at the homeowner. In a panic, Mrs. ******* activates the panic button for her alarm, and calls 911.
In the 911 call, Mrs. ****** reports that there is a strange man, trying to break in to her house. She reports that he is kicking and hitting the door, and yelling at her. On at least one occasion, during the call, the dispatcher asks if the stranger is still in her home. Mrs. ****** clarifies that he is not in the home, but in her front yard. At some point Mr. Ferrell yell to her to shut off her alarm; oddly, she complies. The 911 dispatcher remains on the call for more than 17 minutes. After approximately 6 minutes, Mrs. ****** states that she felt Mr. Ferrell may have left the yard, as her motion light has gone off.
After approximately 11 minutes, 3 CMPD officers arrive on the scene. Shortly after arriving, they see Mr. Ferrell, who has started walking down the road that leads to the subdivision's pool and tennis courts. There is a lot of yelling, though no intelligible words can be discerned.
Mr. Ferrell appears on the dash cam video of one of the patrol cars. The Chief of Police reports that Mr Ferrell is ordered to get on the ground, but fails to comply. Of the three officers on scene (2 black, 1 white) the 2 black officers have their tasers drawn, and aimed at Mr. Ferrell. After what has been described as an effort to show he was unarmed (pulling his pants above his waist), Ferrell turns and runs toward Officer Kerrick. One of the 2 officers holding a taser tries to deploy it, but misses.
As Ferrell approached Kerrick, Chief Monroe reports that Kerrick attempted to retreat. Still approaching, Kerrick discharges his service revolver. Mr Ferrell's family's attorney reports 4 shots, a pause, 6 shots, a pause, 2 shots. Chief Monroe reports contact between Ferrell and Kerrick, after the first 4 rounds are fired.
15 hours after the shooting, Chief Monroe announces that Officer Kerrick has been charged with voluntary manslaughter. Local media interviews with 2 individuals who specialize in "use of force" cases reveals that Officer Kerrick's charges are nearly unprecedented, in relation to how quickly they are filed.
Scantly more than 48 hours after the tragic events, the local NAACP chapter president, the ACLU, and other protestors are in town, seeking justice for Ferrell. While Ferrell's family's attorney is non-commital to claims of racism on Kerrick's part, the NAACP president all but calls Kerrick a racist, and demands the charges be upgraded to 2nd degree murder.
And that, is pretty much where we are, at this point.
My personal thoughts and observations: we are quick to give Ferrell a pass on any responsibility. Allegations of racism are hurled at Kerrick and the homeowner. Many consider Mrs. ****** guilty of some sort of crime, despite the fact that she was legitimately terrified, and under no obligation to determine why Ferrell was at her door, or to render aid to him.
Very few consider that Officer Kerrick may have, in fact, not had ANY weapon drawn, when Ferrell started to charge at him. Chief Monroe reports that Kerrick first attempted to retreat, AND that Ferrell was only 2 feet away when Kerrick fired the first volley.
Aggravating the situation further, is Chief Monroe's actions and words. Despite clear precedent, and incomplete evidence, he chose to charge Officer Kerrick with voluntary manslaughter. He went on to state that Kerrick had no justification for discharging his weapon, and that the officers should have tried to fight with Ferrell, to detain him. In regard to the charges, I am completely convinced that Chief Monroe filed them as a direct result of political pressure. Between the ACLU, the NAACP, the city manager, and quite likely, some or most of the city council, the pressure to charge Kerrick was more than it seems Monroe was able to bear. Coupled with the assertion of excessive force, the charges served not to quell unrest,but to intensify it. I have defended Chief Monroe in the past. I can not, and will not, this time. He is a liar and a coward. He will no longer be able to effectively lead the department, as no man or woman on the force, will trust a chief who doesn't have their back.
Referring back to Mr. Ferrell, it was reported by WSOC-TV, that interviews conducted with some of Ferrell's friends reveal that Ferrell had been drinking and smoking pot, prior to driving, and the accident. With 20+ years of healthcare experience, I can't help but wonder if some of Ferrell's erratic behavior can be traced back to his drug and/or alcohol use. The true tox screen is still several weeks away, though it will be interesting to see what it reveals.
Bottom line, for me, is that if Kerrick was wrong and screwed up, than he deserves whatever the punishment is, that fits the crime. Equally, Ferrell doesn't deserve a "pass." If his actions contributed to his death, then that should be known too.
That is the best moment-by-moment recap I have seen. Did you find that from one source? Or did you put that together from many different sources? I had not seen there were no skid marks at the accident site. I also didn't realize that the homeowner turned off the alarm after Ferrell's request. So much on the 911 tape was intelligible to me.
I also was not aware that there is evidence that Kerrick retreated.
Thank you for the extra info -- and again -- I would be interested in finding out your sources.
Do you have access to the answer to this question? Why, if Ferrell was able to show police that he was unarmed, did they still think he was a threat? And during that period of time, did he verbalize that he had been in a car accident? Or say anything that indicated he had been in a car accident? Were there any other police transmissions after the officers came on-site that relayed the perception that he may have been "under the influence" of drugs or alcohol?
Thank you for going to the trouble to relay your information.
You know, it makes me take pause, and wonder, though; With more than 500 shootings in Chicago last year, and most of the victims black men and women, what is it going to take to enrage people about that situation? I know, it's easier to polarize the black community against what they perceive to be a racist white cop, but I guarantee you FAR more young black men died from black on black street crime than did at the hands of police in ANY year.
There are plenty of us out here questioning the situation in Chicago, besides those who live in Chicago! I travel there and have family there, so I have asked many times on various forums, and posted items on FB as well, asking what it is that is causing these young people to kill each other? And how does one intervene in such a situation? The murders have become what the medical community considers a public health concern.
The concern with one policeman shooting one young man here locally is not as much to do with race as it is to do with inexperienced police officers having that much power to decide who lives and dies without discerning the true nature of the situation.
Now, what others have taken and done with the situation in other parts of the country . . . who knows. But I continue to question the actions of one police officer who felt it necessary to shoot a man (regardless of color!) 10 times just b/c he was approaching him, possibly in a disorderly manner, and after it had been determined that the guy didn't have a weapon (assuming everything transpired as your post relays, and Ferrell did attempt to show he was unarmed).
That is my concern. That could have been my son trying to get help after an accident.
Unless you knew Ferrell personally and interacted with him on a daily basis, or were there with boots on the ground witnessing the event that unfolded FIRST HAND, you have no idea who this man was or what his mindset was during the incident involved.
Unless you know Kerrick, and interact with him on a daily basis or were there with boots on the ground witnessing the event that unfolded FIRST HAND, you have no idea who this man is or what his mindset was at the time.
Nothing like assassinating either mans character, without knowing any of the facts.
21 pages already and the amount of wise ones within these threads seems to be the exception and not the rule.
Just imagine for a moment if justice and the rule of law was based solely on speculation, conjecture, hearsay, the media. preconceived notions, ideas or rushing to judgment or so called experts here on this forum.......
That is the best moment-by-moment recap I have seen. Did you find that from one source? Or did you put that together from many different sources? I had not seen there were no skid marks at the accident site. I also didn't realize that the homeowner turned off the alarm after Ferrell's request. So much on the 911 tape was intelligible to me.
I also was not aware that there is evidence that Kerrick retreated.
Thank you for the extra info -- and again -- I would be interested in finding out your sources.
Do you have access to the answer to this question? Why, if Ferrell was able to show police that he was unarmed, did they still think he was a threat? And during that period of time, did he verbalize that he had been in a car accident? Or say anything that indicated he had been in a car accident? Were there any other police transmissions after the officers came on-site that relayed the perception that he may have been "under the influence" of drugs or alcohol?
Thank you for going to the trouble to relay your information.
Hi Ani; always great to see you! My synopsis was based mostly on statements that were released to the media from the city, or one of the attorneys. The crash scene analysis was based on my observations from pictures and knowledge of the area. I tried to present only objective, non-disputed information. I don't believe that either of the 2 other officers will ever be made available for media interviews; I suspect the only information we'll ever hear from any of the 3 will come from trial transcripts.
My understanding is, that the video captured was only 20 seconds long. Because each officer is mic'd, and each car's camera system is activated when the strobes are activated, it would seem there has to be further verbal recordings; though I'm sure that information wouldn't remain suppressed for long. I don't believe it will be long though, before we are allowed to see what the dashcam video shows; this incident is just becoming far too polarizing.
There are plenty of us out here questioning the situation in Chicago, besides those who live in Chicago! I travel there and have family there, so I have asked many times on various forums, and posted items on FB as well, asking what it is that is causing these young people to kill each other? And how does one intervene in such a situation? The murders have become what the medical community considers a public health concern.
The concern with one policeman shooting one young man here locally is not as much to do with race as it is to do with inexperienced police officers having that much power to decide who lives and dies without discerning the true nature of the situation.
Now, what others have taken and done with the situation in other parts of the country . . . who knows. But I continue to question the actions of one police officer who felt it necessary to shoot a man (regardless of color!) 10 times just b/c he was approaching him, possibly in a disorderly manner, and after it had been determined that the guy didn't have a weapon (assuming everything transpired as your post relays, and Ferrell did attempt to show he was unarmed).
That is my concern. That could have been my son trying to get help after an accident.
I certainly get that you question the situation based on the perspective of a citizen who is concerned about the training of our police. That is a logical concern, and I can't say I wouldn't ask it as well. What I am more referring to, though, is the people who have taken the incident beyond a "training issue," and strictly made it about race. Truthfully, it seems that there are far more people who fall in to the latter category than there are in the former.
Perhaps the way in which I posed the question is vague. I guess, really, my point is that the black leadership can mobilize and rush to condemn what they consider a racist cop, yet there is no such effort visible in relation to the loss of black urban youth, at the hands of their peers. Overt racism is, and should be, polarizing. There is nothing to indicate that this officer was a racist. Shouldn't gang violence be polarizing? Shouldn't the murder of children be polarizing? Shouldn't the loss of young men and women, with their vast potential, be polarizing? Yet, somehow it isn't. Why no Million Mom March on Chicago? Or Detroit? In 2012 NYC, which is more than twice the size of Chicago had significantly fewer murders. It simply doesn't make sense.
In regard to the number of shots fired, I just can't seem to grasp the significance of the number of rounds. Theoretically, Ferrell could have been killed with the first slug; is it really of any significance that there were 11 more fired? I guess as a veteran, I'm conditioned to expect that anyone who has been shot would have more than 1 round in them. Not to say that the rules of combat are the same as the rules of policing, but in both, you shoot until the threat is eliminated.
As Ferrell approached Kerrick, Chief Monroe reports that Kerrick attempted to retreat. Still approaching, Kerrick discharges his service revolver. Mr Ferrell's family's attorney reports 4 shots, a pause, 6 shots, a pause, 2 shots.
I think we can all be fairly confident that Officer Kerrick did not fire 12 rounds from his service revolver. What is the source of this claim? Very few law enforcement officials carry revolvers these days, and even if they did, most hold 5 to 8 rounds in any caliber large enough to have stopping power.
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