Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper appointed Kerwin Pittman, a former gang member who served more than a decade in prison after a murder-conspiracy conviction, to a state task force focused on racial equity in the criminal justice system in 2020, according to a report.

Cooper established the North Carolina Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice by executive order in June 2020, following nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd. 

The panel was tasked with examining racial disparities in the state's criminal justice system and developing recommendations for reforms.

The task force included state officials, law enforcement representatives, judges, prosecutors, community advocates and people with experience in the criminal justice system, the Washington Free Beacon reported. 

Pittman was listed as a representative of justice-involved individuals and was identified by the governor's office as the founder of Recidivism Reduction Education Program Services.

According to records obtained by the Washington Free Beacon, Pittman was convicted in 2007 of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and sentenced to more than 14 years in prison. 

The case involved the 2006 drive-by shooting death of 19-year-old Jamel Amiens Jeffreys. Pittman ultimately served about 11.5 years, according to the report.