A jury was selected Wednesday ahead of opening statements in the Jacksonville, Fla. murder trial of Michael Dunn, a 47-year-old white man accused of shooting and killing 17-year-old Jordan Davis, a black teen.
The prosecution and the defense questioned the 16-person jury, which consists of 10 women and six men, on their personal backgrounds and views on guns and loud music — all elements of the incident that lead to Davis' death. (Via WJXT)
Dunn and his girlfriend pulled up to a gas station in Jacksonville in November 2012. Dunn said he heard loud music coming from another car, in which Davis was seated, and asked the teen and his friends to turn down their music. (Via MSNBC)
"Then he said he heard threats from the teens and saw a gun in their car. ... Saying he feared for his safety, Dunn retrieved his gun from inside his car. Then police say he fired four shots into the SUV Davis was in." (Via CNN)
Police say Dunn fired four more rounds as the SUV sped away, one of those hitting and killing Davis.
No gun was found in the car Davis was in and Dunn says he's not guilty, claiming he acted in self defense. According to Central Florida News 13, this will set up just the latest case dealing with Florida's "stand your ground" law.
Dunn's self-defense claim, coupled with the fact that he's accused of shooting and killing an unarmed teen in Fla., many have compared Dunn's case to that of George Zimmerman — the neighborhood watchman who was acquitted in the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. (Via Fox News)
But Mark O'Mara, the attorney who represented Zimmerman, said the similarities are few and the jury will have a hard time deciding if Dunn ultimately did the right thing in this case.
"There were no injuries to Mr. Dunn as there were to Mr. Zimmerman, there was no close contact as there was with George and Trayvon Martin, and there seemed to be a pretty easy way to get away from the situation." (Via WTLV)
Dunn is charged with one count of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted first-degree murder. He faces life in prison. WTEV says the jury has been sequestered and will report Thursday for opening statements.
