Charlotte ‘die-in’ in honor of Jonathan Ferrell planned for Monday

As the trial of a police officer who shot Jonathan Ferrell to death continues, activists plan to stage a “die-in” Monday in support of justice for Ferrell.

SAFE Coalition NC (for Safety Accountability Fairness Ethics) has called for people to meet at Marshall Park in uptown Charlotte at 6:30 p.m. Monday to prepare for a 10-minute action starting at 6:50. Die-ins involve lying in public spaces to illustrate what many see as a national wave of police brutality against African-Americans.

Previous Charlotte actions have taken place in response to incidents in Ferguson, Mo., and other cities.

Ferrell was shot in the early morning hours of Sept. 14, 2013, after he wrecked his car and banged on the door of a nearby home. The resident, believing he was trying to break in, called police. Officer Randall “Wes” Kerrick shot the unarmed Ferrell 10 times as Ferrell ran toward him.

Kerrick is charged with voluntary manslaughter. The call for a die-in went out after the dashcam video of Ferrell’s last moments was showed at the trial Wednesday, the first time the public had seen it. It shows Ferrell approaching three officers and, after Taser dots appear on his chest, running off camera. The shots that killed him are heard soon after.

A tweet from SAFE Coalition NC said the event also marks the one-year anniversary of the death of Michael Brown, who was shot by a Ferguson police officer on Aug. 9, 2014. That shooting, along with a grand jury’s decision not to indict the officer, led to protests and riots in Ferguson.

This story was originally published August 6, 2015 at 10:59 AM with the headline "Charlotte ‘die-in’ in honor of Jonathan Ferrell planned for Monday."