Charlotte police kill ex-FAMU player who may have been running to them for help

(CNN) -- Police in North Carolina shot and killed a man running toward them Saturday morning -- but he may have just been looking for help after a car wreck.

Officers responded to a "breaking and entering" 911 call at a home in Charlotte.

The homeowner told dispatchers that a man had been knocking on her door repeatedly.

Police say that when they got to the scene, a man matching the caller's description ran toward them.

One of the officers fired his stun gun, but it was "unsuccessful." Another officer then opened fire, police said.

Jonathan Ferrell died at the scene. He was shot several times.

He was unarmed.

Police now believe Ferrell was seeking assistance after crashing his car.

Florida man mistakenly shot by deputies

Ferrell was 24 and a former football player at Florida A&M University.

Police found a wrecked car nearby, indicating that he may have been trying to get help.

"It was a pretty serious accident," Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Rodney Monroe told CNN affiliate WSOC.

The crash was so severe that authorities now believe Ferrell had to climb out of the back window, affiliate WBTV reported.

He ran to the closest house for help.

The woman inside thought it was her husband.

"To her surprise, it was an individual that she did not know or recognize," Monroe told WBTV. "She immediately closed the door, hit her panic alarm, called 911."

The man stood outside and "continued to attempt to gain the attention of the homeowner," a police statement said.

Police have charged Officer Randall Kerrick with voluntary manslaughter -- a felony. He turned himself in Saturday afternoon and was released Sunday on $50,000 bond.

Police used "charged" and "ran" and "advanced" in their description of what Ferrell did.

There were three officers at the scene, but Kerrick was the only one to use a gun.

He fired several times, police said.

"The evidence revealed that Mr. Ferrell did advance on Officer Kerrick and the investigation showed that the subsequent shooting of Mr. Ferrell was excessive," police said in another statement issued late Saturday night. "Our investigation has shown that Officer Kerrick did not have a lawful right to discharge his weapon during this encounter. "

All three officers have been placed on paid leave.

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