CHARLOTTE -- Attorneys for Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer Randall Kerrick entered a not guilty plea Friday along with several motions.
The officer is charged with voluntary manslaughter in the shooting death of unarmed Jonathan Ferrell in 2013.
In the documents filed Friday, Kerrick's attorneys make the case for self-defense, presenting a different sequence of events the night of the shooting previously released.
They say Kerrick shot Ferrell because Ferrell was physically on top of him, fighting him.
The documents say during the encounter on September 14, 2013, Ferrell reached for Officer Kerrick's waistband and Kerrick fired.
Then, according to Kerrick's attorneys, both men fell into a ditch – Ferrell, the larger of the two, fell on top of Kerrick.
Attorneys say Ferrell hit Kerrick in the face and also grabbed his gun.
They say that is when Kerrick, fearing for his life, shot Ferrell several times, until he was able to get out from under him.
Previously, 911 calls revealed a report that Ferrell hit one of the officers. Police said Ferrell was shot 10 times.
Because the story has gotten so much media attention, Kerrick's attorneys say they don't believe he can get a fair trial in Mecklenburg county, so they're requesting a change of venue.
They’re also requesting, once the trial begins, the jury takes a trip to see the scene on Reedy Creek Road where this shooting happened.
A grand jury refused to indict Kerrick, but the attorney general resubmitted the case saying there wasn't a full panel on the grand jury. Kerrick's attorneys are challenging that move, asking if any of the no true bills since then have been resubmitted.
The trial is set to begin in July.