Update, 5:30 p.m. Wednesday
Four alternate jurors were seated Wednesday. Opening arguments are scheduled to begin Monday at 9:30 a.m.
Twelve jurors are now seated in the Randall Kerrick trial. Kerrick is on trial for voluntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting two years ago of an unarmed African-American man, 24-year-old Jonathan Ferrell. The defense and prosecution started grilling potential jurors early last week, with the 12th juror being seated Tuesday.
The 12th juror is the first African-American man seated. He is 67 years old and a Vietnam veteran. With his seating, there are four white women, three white men, two Latina women, two African-American women and one African-American man on the jury.
It took seven days for a full jury to be seated. Both sides grilled the jury pool on what they knew about the case, how often they watched the news, their opinions on police shootings in other cities, and whether they had formed opinions on Kerrick’s innocence or guilt. A few, including a chemist on Tuesday, were excused because they said they think Kerrick is guilty.
The two sides are currently going through the process of selecting alternate jurors. Presiding Judge Robert Ervin says he will be “stunned” if all alternate jurors are seated by Wednesday.
