On July 20, 2015, the trial of CMPD officer Randall "Wes" Kerrick opened with jury selection. Kerrick faces a charge of involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of Jonathan Ferrell, an unarmed black man who was seeking help after a car accident.
Jonathan Ferrell
Here's the latest.
The Mecklenburg County Courts called 321 prospective jurors in the first week.
7/20/15 4:41 p.m. update: Jury selection got underway in earnest Monday afternoon with 30 potential jurors each receiving a long questionnaire that will go a long way to deciding if they will serve.
It asks a range of standard questions -- are you presently employed -- to -- are you single, married, divorced?
But the critical questions go right to the heart of the case: How much have you heard about Kerrick and the unarmed man he admits shooting 10 times, Jonathan Ferrell?
And, do you have feelings, positive or negative, about police relations in Charlotte?
Nine jurors were selected before
Jury selection in the trial of CMPD Officer Randall Wes Kerrick was cut short Friday morning as the court ran out of prospective jurors.
Kerrick is accused of shooting Jonathan Ferrell to death in September of 2013 after responding to a potential burglary call. The State of North Carolina says that Ferrell was in an automobile accident and was seeking help when he was shot.
Nine jurors were chosen Thursday, leaving three slots open to complete the panel, plus four alternate jurors.
The trial resumed yesterday with a new pool of jurors, and this afternoon we learned that twelve
have been seated.
A total of 12 jurors have been chosen, NBC Charlotte reporter Glenn Counts tweeted from outside the courtroom. The jury is made up of eight women and four men. Three of the men are white and one is black. There are four white women, two black women and two Hispanic women. An African American man was chosen as the only black man on the panel.
They will now continue to select four alternates.
Local civil rights activist John Barnette
expressed concern about the racial makeup of the jury.
We're pleased that there is some representation of Afro-American males," Barnette said. "We definitely need someone who looks like Jonathan Ferrell."
...
While census figures show Mecklenburg County is 49 percent white and 32 percent black, the jury selected is now 58 percent white and 25 percent black.
Opening arguments are expected to begin soon.
For the latest on the trial, follow #kerricktrial on Twitter. WSOC in Charlotte has a special section with past and current news on the case here. Links to my previous diaries:
27 Jan 2014: Officer-indicted-on-voluntary-manslaughter-charge-in-Jonathan-Ferrell-shooting
26 Jan 2014: Jonathan-Ferrell-case-Defense-attorneys-move-to-block-second-Grand-Jury-hearing
22 Jan 2014: Grand-jury-fails-to-indict-officer-in-Jonathan-Ferrell-shooting-DA-to-resubmit-case 13 Jan 2014: NC-Attorney-General-to-seek-indictment-in-Jonathan-Ferrell-case
3 Nov 2013: Jonathan-Ferrell-autopsy-Legal-BAC-no-illegal-drugs
16 Sep 2013: Investigators-CMPD-officer-fired-12-shots-at-unarmed-accident-victim
15 Sep 2013: Charlotte-NC-officer-involved-shooting-leads-to-voluntary-manslaughter-charge