To be fair, there have been numerous police shootings in the metropolitan area of 2.6 million people, but the shootings of Jonathan Ferrell, Keith Lamont Scott and Franklin all stoked a special level of doubt and suspicion among Charlotteans.
At a listening session with residents, police Chief Kerr Putney was quick to talk Tuesday about how his department battles things like implicit bias among officers, but he was reticent regarding Franklin's shooting, citing the ongoing investigation.
Two probes will determine whether Officer Wende Kerl, who is white, met the legal standard in opening fire on Franklin last month in a Burger King parking lot, Putney said, but he is not going to tear down Kerl or Franklin without knowing the facts. He made that vow to Franklin's mother, he said.
"I promised her I'm going to be a fact seeker and a seeker of justice," he said.
Analysts weigh in
The March 25 shooting raises myriad questions, though, as evidenced by recent protests. CNN analysts say they also have questions about how Kerl handled the situation.
Legal analyst Joey Jackson firmly believes from what he's seen -- per a judge's order, police on Monday released footage Kerl's body camera -- that the shooting was not justified.
Yes, Franklin had a gun and refused multiple -- about 20 -- orders to drop the weapon. But he didn't make any furtive movements, point the weapon at anyone, twist his body toward the officers, make threats or act belligerently, the attorney said.
Police are allowed to shoot when they have a reasonable fear of immediate death or serious injury, Jackson said. But after viewing the 2½-minute clip of bodycam footage, Jackson questions whether there was any immediacy to the threat, whether Kerl should have shot Franklin twice and why there was no attempt at deescalation or negotiation, instead of "just screams and commands."
CNN law enforcement analyst James Gagliano, a former FBI agent, pointed out that Franklin could have quickly ended the confrontation by immediately complying with Kerl's commands. But he asked why Kerl never took cover. Containment and negotiation should have been her first steps because "a bit more patience might have been prudent," he said.
"No immediate set of exigent circumstances that I could sense, unless she thought the passenger in the car was imperiled," Gagliano said, referring to a man who was in the car as Franklin squatted by the passenger door. But even that is "iffy from a reasonableness standard," he said.
Gagliano also is troubled that both Kerl and the other officer on the scene, Larry Deal, shouted a series of commands. "Shouted command overload" can be confusing, especially if the commands conflict, he said. At one point in the video, the officers tell Franklin to show his hands and put his weapon on the ground. A single officer should always be in charge of issuing commands, Gagliano said.
Kerl may have trouble proving her actions were justified under the circumstances, but police officers are taught that action is faster than reaction, and "a millisecond can mean the difference between your own avoidance of being shot," Gagliano said.
"Officer could argue she felt his movements were threatening, but I'd argue she should've been behind cover and not joined a chorus of commands shouted at the man," he said. "She could've taken a position of cover and continued to talk to the man. ... I'm always careful to add that I wasn't on the scene, didn't have to make the decisions in real time that she did and only saw one camera angle of the scene and the incident."
The Franklin case will be turned over to the prosecutor's office in a week or so, Putney said Monday. The department's internal affairs bureau is conducting a parallel investigation.
Here are details from the Ferrell and Scott shootings:
Keith Lamont Scott
Date of death: September 20, 2016
What happened: Scott was sitting in his car in an apartment complex parking lot when police arrived. They were trying to locate another man to serve a warrant, officials said. Scott got out of his car "armed with a firearm and posed an imminent deadly threat to the officers," police said.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Officer Brentley Vinson, who is also black, shot and killed Scott.
Scott's family gave a different account. Daughter Lyric Scott said in a Facebook Live video that her father was disabled and was reading a book in his car.
Putney said officers did not find a book at the scene, and Scott family attorney Justin Bamberg later conceded Scott was armed but said there was no evidence the gun was in his hand when he was shot. Vinson was not wearing a body camera.
The aftermath: Several hundred protesters rallied, chanting "Black lives matter." Some also blocked Interstate 85 and started a fire in the middle of the highway. Others threw rocks and bottles at police.
Vinson was put on paid administrative leave pending an investigation, and in December 2016, Mecklenburg County District Attorney Andrew Murray declined to press charges against Vinson, saying officers told Scott 10 times to drop his weapon before Vinson shot him. More protests ensued.
After failing to reach a settlement with the city, Rakeyia Scott, the victim's widow, sued the city for $60,000 last year, according to CNN affiliate WBTV. The case is pending.
Jonathan Ferrell
Date of death: September 14, 2013
What happened: Ferrell was involved in an accident so severe he had to escape through the back window of his car, family attorney Chris Chestnut said.
Ferrell walked to the home of Sarah McCartney, who said she called 911 after hearing someone banging loudly on her door.
Dashcam video released later at the trial appeared to show Ferrell walking toward officers; he quickly begins running toward police as lights hit his chest.
Someone shouts, "Get on the ground!" three times, and shots are heard.
Prosecutors said Ferrell started to run because he was afraid for his life after another officer pointed a Taser at him.
The defense attorney for Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Officer Randall Kerrick said Ferrell became aggressive, pounding his thighs and taunting Kerrick, saying, "Shoot me! Shoot me!" The video didn't show either event.
The aftermath: Kerrick was charged with felony voluntary manslaughter, but his trial ended in a mistrial after jurors couldn't reach a decision.
Afterward, Charlotte officials settled with the officer for $180,000.
The city also agreed to pay $2.25 million to settle a civil lawsuit by Ferrell's family.
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