Teachers, auto mechanics and retirees summoned to jury duty in the slaying of Ahmaud Arbery are being questioned about their thoughts on racism, their social media habits and whether they own guns, while hundreds more await their turn.
Finding an impartial jury won’t be quick or easy in this coastal community of 85,000 people. The 25-year-old Black man was chased by three white men and fatally shot on Feb. 23, 2020, as he ran in their neighborhood. His death stunned people across the U.S. after graphic cellphone video of the killing leaked online two months later. The shooting dominated local news, social media feeds and workplace chatter.
As of Wednesday, the third day of jury selection at the Glynn County courthouse, only eight prospective jurors had been deemed qualified to advance to the group from which a final jury will be chosen. Dozens more will be needed before the murder trial of defendants Greg and Travis McMichael and William “Roddie” Bryan gets underway.
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