Tallahassee’s NAACP chapter president is calling for higher standards and more thorough evaluations for people in law enforcement after a partial grand jury didn’t indict the officer who fatally shot a former Florida A&M football player.
Dale Landry, who is also a retired law enforcement officer, said he isn’t surprised by what took place in a North Carolina court Tuesday.
A partial grand jury decided not to indict Officer Randall Kerrick, who reportedly fired 12 shots at Jonathan Ferrell in September, on the charge of voluntary manslaughter.
“I’m not surprised,” Landry said. “Until we as a society place value on human life, this will continue to happen.”
However, the grand jury asked the district attorney to file a lesser charge on Kerrick.
“We the Grand Jury respectfully request that the district attorney submit a bill of indictment to a lesser-included or related offense,” the court document stated.
North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper issued a statement, saying that he plans to resubmit this case to a full grand jury.
The Ferrell family is currently seeking a lawsuit against the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, stating that the department used excessive force in its handling of the situation. The lawsuit questions the hiring and training of police officers and says Kerrick was negligent in his use of excessive force.
The Famuan attempted to contact FAMU DRS head football coach Ira Reynolds, who coached Ferrell, but was unsuccessful.