Estate of Fennell Ex Rel. Fennell v. Stephenson

ORR, Justice.

On 30 August 1993, Kenneth Fennell was shot and killed by North Carolina State Trooper R.L. Stephenson during a traffic stop. In particular, the evidence tended to show that Mr. Fennell, an African-American male in his early twenties, was driving on Interstate 85 in Guilford County when he was pulled over by Defendant, who was working in “drug interdiction” efforts on the Interstate in Guilford County. Sometime after issuing Mr. Fennell a traffic citation for driving without a license, an altercation between the two ensued, quickly escalated and ultimately culminated in Mr.…