Jonathan Ferrell's mother continues plea for justice

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — One year after mistrial, Jonathan Ferrell’s mother continues plea for justice.

It's been one year to the date since a judge declared a mistrial in the mistrial in the manslaughter case of a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer who shot and killed an unarmed black man.

Officer Randall "Wes" Kerrick fatally shot Jonathan Ferrell in 2013, claiming Ferrell charged at him after responding to a call where Ferrell crashed his car near the Bradfield Farms subdivision and was banging on a neighbor's door.

Kerrick was cleared of manslaughter charges after a jury was deadlocked in his trial. State Attorney General Roy Cooper chose not to try the case again, and a judge later expunged the manslaughter case from court and police records.

"If they're unarmed, why kill them?," said Ferrell's mother Georgia in a phone conversation Sunday evening.

"Once they stop that, that will be justice."

Ferrell told Channel 9 she will continue to use her voice in the conversation examining the relationship between police officers and the communities they're called to serve.

Last month, Ferrell's mother and brother Skyped in on a community 'Stop the Violence' forum via which drew more than 800 community members to an Uptown church. CMPD Chief Kerr Putney, and fellow officers led much of the conversation.

"I want my voice to be a voice of reason, that we all can come together," she said.

Todd Walther, former president with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police was hopeful the aftermath of the mistrial could serve as an opportunity for growth.

"As for the FOP, we're trying to strengthen ourselves as well as our ties with the community, and we support what the Chief has been doing with trying to strengthen the relationship even better," he said.

"I think we're moving as a department in the right direction, healing the wounds that occurred."

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