Charlotte Cop Fired 12 Shots At Ex-FAMU Player, Hit Him 10 Times

((HT: NBC Charlotte))

Charlotte police officer Randall Kerrick fired his gun 12 times at an unarmed Jonathan Ferrell- hitting him 10 times. Ferrell is a former Florida A&M football player who was shot and killed by Kerrick while Kerrick was seeking help after a car accident Saturday.

The investigation by the Charlotte PD showed Kerrick did not have "a lawful right to discharge his weapon during this encounter."

As police are reconstructing what they think happened that led up to the shooting, current investigations yield that police think Ferrell had wrecked his car, and then was knocking on a house near the crash to try and get help. The woman in the home called police to report she thought a man was trying to break in to her home.

Police encountered Ferrell about a block away. An officer shot and killed him, and police said Ferrell was even running towards the officers at the scene at the time that the weapon was discharged. Kerrick was then charged with voluntary manslaughter, and he made bail late Saturday night.

"The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department reiterates that this is a very unfortunate incident and it has devastated a family as well as caused a great deal of sadness and anxiety in our organization," CMPD spokeswoman Jessica Wallin said in a statement.

Here's the first report...
Ferrell's family spoke today in Charlotte and gave their testimonial... ((HT: CharlotteObserver.com)) Family attorney, Christopher Chestnut, told the assembled media at the presser: "We’re planning to get answers,” he said. “If that requires a lawsuit, then we will.” From the Charlotte Observer article from Wootson and Lyttle: Police released an incident report Monday that shows that after the shooting, Kerrick said he had been assaulted. The report said he received minor injuries, but refused medical attention. It does not indicate who assaulted him. But many questions remain, including the positions of Ferrell and the officers, whether the officers shouted commands and a detailed timeline of events. Police also have explained why the Taser was unsuccessful. Police have not released the 911 recording or any video from the scene.

And Here's The Cable In Charlotte Failing Up Close...

((HT: Jeremy Lowder/WBTV))

Fox Networks is still trying to figure out what went down in Charlotte at the 600-miler over the weekend...

Here's a close-up view from two perspectives...


And then there's this one with a one-on-one with the dad of the guy who shot it...
WBTV 3 News, Weather, Sports, and Traffic for Charlotte, NC

Fox is saying that they will not use the overhead view until they figure out what went wrong and have profusely apologized...

Here's their statement after it happened:

Everyone at FOX Sports is relieved and thankful to know that the injuries to fans caused when CAMCAT malfunctioned at Charlotte Motor Speedway were minor, and those who received hospital treatment were released last night. As stated previously, we regret that the race was affected, and we apologize to the racers whose cars were damaged, to everyone at CMS, NASCAR, and NASCAR fans, especially those who were hurt. At this time, we still do not have a cause for what happened, but a full investigation is underway, and use of the camera is suspended indefinitely.

The rope is made of Dyneema, an ultra-strong synthetic that has the same approximate strength of a steel wire with the same diameter, and is less than a year old. According to the company, it had been factory-tested by the manufacturer and its breaking strength is certified before shipment. It was also inspected by CAMCAT upon receipt last June. The rope was certified to have a breaking strength of over 9,300 pounds. The force exerted during last night's race was less than 900 pounds.

FOX Sports is reviewing with CAMCAT equipment maintenance records, history and installation information and will share those findings with NASCAR and CMS.

Welcome Back The Charlotte Hornets

According to CBS Sports, it looks like the team that was in existence in name from 1988 to 2002 will be returning to the front of jerseys in the Queen City after all...

The HQ guesses you could call it "bringing Hugo back..."

It was something that the team had considered thinking about...

In an interview with the The Charlotte Observer back in November, current Bobcats-soon-to-be-Hornets major domo Michael Jordan said he was open to the idea of reclaiming the Hornets surname for the team in his town.

"It's definitely an interest down the road, but right now it's the New Orleans Hornets," Jordan told the Observer. "We would definitely entertain the opportunity. That's as much as we can say right now. We've heard the community ask the question, and we would listen."

It also would be important for a bad team to try and find ways to reach out to the community... and this isn't a bad way to start...
Like the fans hadn't already thought about it...
((HT: SportSouth))


The process should take about 18 months...

DEVELOPING: Reid Flair Passes At 25

According to wrestlingobserver.com, Flair was found dead today and there are few details in any cause at present...

According to his Twitter feed, he was looking forward to participating in some matches with his father in Hagerstown, Maryland over the weekend...

Two shows in Maryland this weekend with Pops. Good wrestling and even better times ahead.

But Flair was found dead in a hotel room in Charlotte, North Carolina this morning...

He had spent time recently in All Japan Wrestling getting some experience...
Here's a match from February...


According to the Charlotte Observer, local detectives determined that there didn’t appear to be foul play involved.

Also from the Observer staff reports:

Ric Flair's agent, Melinda Morris Zanoni of Legacy Talent and Entertainment, issued a statement on Facebook: "We are heartbroken to confirm that Ric's son, Reid Fliehr, has passed away today March 29, 2013 in Charlotte, NC.

“The investigation into the cause of death is ongoing. Reid was 25 and an incredible son, brother, friend, and professional wrestler. No words can describe the grief that Ric and his family are experiencing and they do request privacy during this devastating time."

More when we know more...

Here's the early returns from WBTV in Charlotte...
WBTV 3 News, Weather, Sports, and Traffic for Charlotte, NC

Fan Falls From 4th Level At ACC Title Game

((HT: WSOC-TV Charlotte))

Local Charlotte police are saying that a 22-year-old man who was attending the ACC Championship Game fell from the fourth level, outside the stadium, and onto the lawn surrounding Bank of America Stadium.

A policeman said on the scene that he suspects the gentleman taken to hospital fell in the neighborhood of 40 to 50 feet and the incident happened 20 minutes before the game started.

The accident is currently being investigated as such. The injuries are considered to be life-threatening and his condition is critical.

Here's the early reports from the stadium...

Conference USA rebuilds by adding small schools

((ht: cbssports.com/mcmurphy))

Well, we guess this means the Conference USA/Mountain West Super Conference merger is dead on arrival.

That's because C-USA announced that they are adding teams. Six of them to be exact. Though we might add most are not exactly household names.

The list includes: Florida International, Louisiana Tech, North Texas, Texas-San Antonio, Charlotte and Old Dominion.

For those keeping track, that would be a raid of the Sun Belt, the Patriot League and the WAC.

Read more details from Brett McMurphy of CBSSports.com, McMurphy broke the story RIGHT HERE

Interesting stuff, but hardly earth shaking news. Kudos to C-USA for trying to rebuild after being nearly decimated by the Big East. However, other than adding to their travel costs, this doesn't do much to add to the league's prestige.

In fact, it does very little for football...right now. Charlotte is about to enter FCS (1-AA) next year as a rookie program. The others have a footprint, but not a particularly large one. But it does protect the conference if for no other reason than the sheer size. Come 2013, C-USA will have 14-teams.

Here's the report from WAVY-TV in Norfolk about the idea...

ODU may be considered for C-USA: wavy.com