The mother of Jai ‘Jerry’ Williams says that her son was not a violent man even though he was armed with a semi-automatic rifle at the time he was shot. Imagine a cop’s headstone that reads “Shot to Death By Nonviolent man”. The incident occurred in Asheville, North Carolina and involved only one policeman. An autopsy showed that Williams was shot nine times including one in the forehead and one in the chest. The officer, Sgt. Tyler Radford said that a passenger in the car appeared to be trying to get out of the car as Williams led him on a three mile chase.
Williams’ mother, Najiyyah Avery, insists his death was unnecessary. The fact that he had a semi-automatic weapon and had a blood/alcohol count of .12, well above the .08 legal limit. Police sources say that the officer was justified in shooting when Williams pulled out the rifle and the officer had every reason to believe he was in danger.
The State Bureau of Investigation has turned its findings over to the district attorney, who will soon decide whether charges are filed against Radford, who was white.
More than 900 pages of written documentation, hundreds of digital photographs and multiple hours of audio and video recordings are being looked at before a decision is made.
During one protests following Williams’ death, six people and a journalist were arrested after staging a sit-in at the Asheville Police Department.
Officers began using the cameras on July 4 – just three days after the fatal shooting.