California jury selected in trial of former transit officer charged with killing unarmed man
By Greg Risling, APTuesday, June 8, 2010
Jury selected in California train shooting trial
LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles jury has been selected in the trial of a white ex-transit officer charged with killing an unarmed black man in Oakland.
Former BART police officer Johannes Mehserle has pleaded not guilty to murder for the slaying of Oscar Grant on New Year’s Day 2009. The shooting sparked racial tensions in Alameda County after amateur video was aired.
Intense media coverage was a factor in moving the trial from Northern California to Los Angeles.
KTVU-TV reports there are no blacks on the jury of eight women and four men. Of those, seven are white, four are Hispanic and one is East Indian.
Selection began Monday with a defense attorney asking some prospective jurists whether they’ve been subjected to racial profiling.
