This Day in History

Sept. 14, 2013: Jonathan Ferrell Killed by Police

Time Periods: 2001-
Themes: African American, Racism & Racial Identity
Print

Jonathan Ferrell wearing his football jersey in an undated photo provided by Florida A&M University. Ferrell was a former safety for the Florida A&M Rattlers football team.

On Sept. 14, 2013, Jonathan Ferrell was shot and killed by a Charlotte, North Carolina police officer while seeking help after being involved in a car accident. When he went to a nearby home seeking assistance, the owner of the home didn’t call for an ambulance. Instead, they called the police, reporting a home burglary in process.

When the police arrived, Ferrell approached them and was tased, then shot 10 times, dying at the scene.

A CodeSwitch (NPR) editorial notes that “Jonathan Ferrell worked two jobs, planned to return to college and marry the fiancée he followed to our city.”

Read more in “Jonathan Ferrell, Former Football Player, Killed by Police After Seeking Help Following Car Wreck: The death of 24-year-old Jonathan Ferrell, former Florida A&M safety, demands our attention” in The Nation by Dave Zirin.

Related Resources
Teaching for Black Lives (Book) Zinn Education Project
Teaching Guides

Teaching for Black Lives

Teaching Guide. Edited by Dyan Watson, Jesse Hagopian, Wayne Au. 2018. Rethinking Schools. 368 pages.
Essays, teaching activities, role plays, poems, and artwork, designed to illuminate the movement for Black students’ lives, the school-to-prison-pipeline, Black history, gentrification, intersectional Black identities, and more.

Henry Dumas, just days before his death, by Clem Fiori.
This Day in History

May 23, 1968: Acclaimed Writer Henry Dumas Fatally Shot by Police

Henry Dumas, a critically acclaimed author, was fatally shot by the New York Transit police.

Michael Brown
This Day in History

Aug. 9, 2014: Michael Brown Killed by Police

Michael Brown was fatally shot by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri.

Philando Castile by Pollen | Zinn Education Project
This Day in History

July 6, 2016: Philando Castile is Killed by Police

Philando Castile, an African American, was shot to death by a police officer at a traffic stop in Falcon Heights, Minnesota. Castile had worked as a nutritional supervisor at an elementary school.

Oscar Grant 2009
This Day in History

Jan. 1, 2009: Oscar Grant Killed

Oscar Grant was fatally shot by BART Police in Oakland.