CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Prosecutors’ decision not to retry a white officer in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man still casts a shadow over the North Carolina governor’s race.
The Charlotte Observer reports (http://bit.ly/2bqaLGZ ) about a third of delegates to the Fraternal Order of Police convention walked out on Attorney General Roy Cooper Saturday after the Democrat answered questions about the case.
FOP members voted to endorse Cooper’s opponent, Gov. Pat McCrory. Four years ago, the group backed Democrat Walter Dalton.
Prosecutors opted not to retry Charlotte-Mecklenburg Officer Randall Kerrick after a mistrial. Kerrick was charged with voluntary manslaughter in the 2013 death of former college football player Jonathan Ferrell.
The FOP spent $500,000 on Kerrick’s defense. Members blame Cooper for deciding to prosecute on what they feel was insubstantial evidence.
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Information from: The Charlotte Observer, http://www.charlotteobserver.com