‘Outright inhumane,’ attorney Ben Crump says of Shelby police beating
The woman who was punched by a former Shelby police officer walked into a local church Tuesday morning with civil rights attorney Ben Crump to applause from full pews.
“Justice for Cherrie,” Crump said, leading the crowd in a chant.
Cherrie Moore, 33, retained Crump as an attorney following her arrest by then-officer Karson Hyder, who was fired by the department and charged with assault.
Members of the crowd yelled that they loved Moore.
“The champ is here,” another person yelled. The crowd clapped and cheered as Crump commented on the Friday assault, which was captured on doorbell camera, at a press conference Tuesday morning at the church.
“I definitely appreciate it and plan to show it in a more obvious way,” Moore said in a brief statement, referring to the support of other people.
Crump said he wondered what the police narrative would have been if the assault hadn’t been caught on video. He said he called for criminal charges against Hyder after he was retained.
Medical records said Moore suffered a fractured nose, Crump said. His office plans to show the medical records to the district attorney to request increased charges against Hyder.
“She has mental health issues, and that’s not a crime,” Crump said. She was diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and suffers from PTSD, he said.
Located in the middle of Cleveland County, Shelby has a population of just over 20,000 people about 40 miles west of Charlotte. The city is surrounded by rural communities. Moore, a Shelby native, was assaulted just after 8 a.m. outside a home on Booker Street.
The video appeared to show Hyder pulling Moore down to the ground and punching her before a second officer pulled Moore away and handcuffed her.
Moore was charged Friday with breaking and entering, resisting an officer and assaulting a government employee. But the resisting an officer and assault charges were dismissed on Monday, according to court records.
The crowd counted in unison to 10, the number of times Crump said she was punched. A picture was displayed near Crump, showing the extent of Moore’s facial injuries.
“It was just outright inhumane,” Crump said.
At a news conference Friday, Shelby Police Chief Brad Fraser said Hyder’s actions were “distrubing and inappropriate.”
“A second officer can be seen intervening to stop those actions,” Fraser said.
Law enforcement under scrutiny
Others spoke at the Tuesday news conference, including Chance Lynch, an attorney at Crump’s firm, and Michael Moore, the pastor of the church and Cherrie Moore’s uncle.
Michael Moore said the video will convince people not to call the people when they’re in trouble.
“Enough is enough,” Michael Moore said of the treatment of Black people by police. “This has to end.”
George Moore, Cherrie Moore’s father, said he appreciated the department moving quickly to fire Hyder, but said he worries his daughter will have trouble trusting law enforcement.
“It’s hard,” Greg Moore said. “Been trying to help my daughter. We’ve been going through a tough time.”
Court records show Hyder arrested Cherrie Moore in 2025, when she was charged with breaking and entering and assaulting an officer. She spent 15 days in jail, the records said.
It’s unclear if Hyder or Moore recognized each other on Friday. Crump said his office is looking into that and if Hyder or the police department were aware of Moore’s mental health conditions.
Police declined to comment on Tuesday.
Police and bishops meet
Outside, Moore’s family and supporters gathered and continued their cries for justice. Bishop Sharon Martin, vice president of the local NAACP, said the video of Moore’s assault was jarring.
Martin said there was a large effort behind the scenes to get attention on Moore’s case. Private meetings with Shelby’s mayor and different pastors were among the work done to get eyes on her case.
“They listened, I don’t think they wanted to, and worked quickly to fire him,” Martin said. She said she wanted more serious charges to be filed against the former officer.
“We’re still not pleased with that considering the magnitude of what happened.”
Moore’s former school resource officer, Shenisia Jefferies, showed up in support of her, “She’s a good person and I hate that this happened to her. I hope justice is served.” “It was hard seeing that video,” said Chericha Jeffries, Cherrie Moore’s cousin. “I hope more charges are brought.”
This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 11:50 AM with the headline "‘Outright inhumane,’ attorney Ben Crump says of Shelby police beating."
