The second trial for the Detroit police officer who fatally shot 7-year-old Aiyana Stanley-Jones in 2010 began this week, kicking off with jury selection on Monday.
Officer Joseph Weekley shot Aiyana during a raid that was being filmed for A&E’s hit show The First 48. Aiyana’s family members maintain the officers were more concerned with their appearance on television, than doing actual police work.
But Weekley, whose first trial ended without a verdict in June 2013, said he accidentally pulled the trigger when Aiyana’s grandmother, Mertilla Jones, grabbed his gun. Jones denies grabbing the weapon. Another officer also testified that there was no struggle over the gun.
Weekly was charged with involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutors say he mishandled his gun and was “grossly negligent.”
Judge Cynthia Gray Hathaway hopes to settle on a jury on Tuesday. We’ll keep you updated with the latest in Weekley’s case.
SOURCE: CBS | PHOTO CREDIT: Handout
