DIALLO SHOOTING TRIAL
				Discuss the case on our message board Special Report: Behind the Badge with a Hand on the Trigger Profiles of Key Figures Profiles of Jurors Background Report Full Coverage of Case/Archived Articles Case Timeline

Four New York City police officers are on trial for murder in the shooting of an unarmed West African immigrant. The shooting of Amadou Diallo took place in the Soundview section of the Bronx, but the defense requested a change of venue, citing pretrial publicity. The trial was moved to Albany county. The four officers are white and the victim was black. While the Bronx is predominantly black and Hispanic, Albany is predominantly white.

In two days, a jury of 12 was selected as well as four alternates. The composition of the initial jury was as follows: six men and six women; two of the women and all of the men are white; four jurors are black women. The four alternates are white men. However, right before Judge Joseph Teresi was to instruct the jury, he announced that Juror No. 4 had talked about the case to somebody outside the courthouse and would, therefore, be discharged. An alternate, a white male, was selected. The jury now consists of seven men, all of whom are white, and five women, four of whom are black. The racial composition was not changed by the substitution.

No. 1: A middle-aged African-American woman who used to live in the Parkchester section of the Bronx in the 1970s — not far from where Diallo was killed. The soft-spoken woman was nonetheless emphatic about her lack of contact with the NYPD. She described herself as "law-abiding" and said she's had "absolutely no interaction with the police whatsoever." Her son is a private investigator and served in the military police. The defense tried to excuse her and two other black women but the prosecution objected, arguing that the defense sought to remove them on racial grounds alone. The judge refused to allow her dismissal. By law, the first juror becomes the foreperson.

No. 2: An elderly white woman whose husband was an agent for the FBI. Both her son and her husband are attorneys.

No. 3: A middle-aged white man who says he opposes private handgun ownership and dislikes judging people. He described himself as a independent Catholic minister.

No. 4: Formerly Alternate No. 1 A white man in his twenties who said he participated in rallies in Albany, New York City and Washington, D.C. for gay and lesbian rights. He described himself as an activist. He was added to the main panel when the judge discharged the original juror because she talked about the case outside the courtroom.

No. 5: A middle-aged African-American woman who said a relative was convicted of a drug charge. She uses a wheelchair and described herself as a churchgoer.

No. 6: A white man who served in the Korean war. He discharged a rifle at that time and said he has not handled a weapon since. Though an avid newspaper reader, he said his knowledge of the case is limited — all he knows is that four officers killed a man and would be tried.

No. 7: A middle-aged white man who teaches middle school. He used to be a principal. His daughter was stabbed in 1989 and survived. He said he was capable of making tough, even unpopular decisions.

No. 8: A middle-aged African-American woman who has a 21-year-old daughter. (Diallo was 22 when he was shot to death.) She said she initially identified with Diallo's mother. "It could have been my daughter," she said. However, she added that she could be fair.

No. 9: A thirty-something white man whose parents grew up in the Bronx. He said the neighborhood had changed since then. If someone is indicted, he said, it doesn't necessarily mean they did something wrong. Police may have "perceived" that the victim was doing something wrong, according to the juror.

No. 10: A middle-aged white man and avid newspaper reader. He said that in Florida he witnessed the snatching of his wife's purse.

No. 11: A middle-aged white man. His said his work in the financial sector requires that he make split-second decisions.

No. 12: A middle-aged African-American woman who lived in the Bronx and visits relatives who reside in the area. While she acknowledged hearing about the case, she said she could be fair and never discussed the case during family visits. The Southview section of the Bronx is high in crime, she said.

DISCHARGED: original Juror No. 4. A twenty-something white woman who was held at gunpoint six years ago in North Carolina. She said, however, that the experience would not affect her ability to judge the case. Judge Joseph Teresi discharged her prior to charging the jury because she talked about the case outside the court. One of the people she talked to contacted the judge. Teresi said the woman apologized and told him she was "embarrassed" about the incident.