Detroit Cop Faces 2nd Trial In 7-Year-Old Aiyana Stanley-Jones's Death
DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - Jury selection has begun in the second trial of a Detroit police officer who fatally shot a 7-year-old girl during a chaotic raid in 2010.
Officer Joseph Weekley's first trial ended without a verdict in June of last year. He's charged with involuntary manslaughter after prosecutors say he mishandled his gun and was "grossly negligent" causing the death of Aiyana Stanley-Jones as she slept on a couch.
Lawyers and Judge Cynthia Gray Hathaway pored over answers on juror questionnaires Monday.
They seek to settle on a jury Tuesday in Wayne County court.
Weekley maintains he accidentally pulled the trigger when Aiyana's grandmother, Mertilla Jones, grabbed his submachine gun after the team threw a "flash bang" grenade and entered the home. The grandmother denies she touched the gun, and another officer testified that there was no struggle over the weapon.
Weekley was indicted by a grand jury in October 2011 after a year-long investigation.
The raid was being filmed for the A&E reality show "The First 48," and Aiyana's family members believe the officers involved were more concerned about how they looked on TV than they were about properly conducting their police work.
Last summer, a videographer who filmed the raid for the TV show was sentenced to probation in connection with the case. Allison Howard, in June, pleaded no contest to obstruction of justice for lying about trying to sell footage shot on the night Aiyana was killed.
The incident led to a ban by then-Detroit Mayor Dave Bing on TV crews going out with police.
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