The case of the state of Minnesota vs Jeronimo Yanez started with a jury pool of 50 randomly selected residents of Ramsey County. Here are some details about the final 12 jurors, revealed during the selection process:
Juror 1: Young black male who works as a shift manager at Wendy's and personal care attendant for his mom. He said he's never had a run-in with police; he believed the wealthy and powerful could get off in the legal system because they could hire better attorneys.
Juror 2: An older white female who manages a White Bear Lake gas station that has a contract with police. She said she had never heard of the Castile case. The judge denied an attempt by prosecutors to strike her after it was revealed that she had pro-police posts on her Facebook page. One of those posts was heavily critical of NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who began kneeling during national anthems last year to protest police shootings. She said she had forgotten about the posts.
Juror 3: Middle-aged white male whose wife works for the St. Paul School District, as did Castile — but she did not know him. He lives very close to the where Castile was shot and works "as the number one guy" at a small metal finishing shop. He said his father was a fire chief and he grew up around law enforcement, and also has a nephew who's a police officer. He said it would be difficult for him to be unbiased. He has permit to carry and said he knew to keep his hands visible during a traffic stop. "That's what they teach you," he said.
Juror 4: A middle-aged white male who had very little knowledge of the case. He said he owns a gun and called the criminal justice system "a very fair process."
Juror 5: A middle-aged white female who works at an assisted-living center and is highly active in church volunteer work. She said she had heard about the shooting at the time it happened, but knew little else. Her husband was carjacked at gunpoint 18 years ago. She said she had a high regard for police.
Juror 6: A white male in his 40s who is the jury foreperson. A wellness coach for the last seven years, he believes too many "victimless" crimes are prosecuted, including drug use and sex work. He believes marijuana should be legalized. He said he was "somewhat isolated" and knew nothing about the Yanez case.
Juror 7: A white female in her late 30s to early 40s who works as a nurse at the same hospital as Yanez's wife — but said she does not know her. She said she watched Diamond Reynolds' Facebook video, but didn't seek out news about the case and knew a moderate amount about it. She's a member of a Harley motorcycle group. She said she was "dissatisfied" with how police responded to a call in 1996.
Juror 8: An 18-year-old Ethiopian-American female who immigrated to America when she was 10. She said she had not heard about the Yanez case before jury selection and doesn't watch the news. The defense tried to strike her due to unfamiliarity with the U.S. legal system, but the judge denied the attempt.
Juror 9: A middle-aged computer support worker, she was not familiar with the Yanez case, and said "I'm thankful we have police officers." She believes in the right to own a firearm but added "I'm trying to stay away from them right now."
Juror 10: A middle-aged white male who is retired from preprinting work, he said he followed news about the case off and on. He said he had seen Reynolds' Facebook video. "She seemed overly calm" he said on his juror questionnaire. He owns a handgun and hunts.
Juror 11: A middle-aged white male who owns several shotguns and long rifles to hunt pheasants. A former business manager who now works in construction and remodeling, he said in his questionnaire that the criminal justice system has problems but is "the best in the world."
Juror 12: A middle-aged white male who moved to Minnesota four years ago to get a new start. He said he's a regular listener to MPR who knew "a lot" about the case. A pipe fitter, he took a permit-to-carry class three months ago. "Keep your hands visible and do not do anything until they tell you want to do" he said of permit to carry education on traffic stop conduct. He believes minor criminal offenses snowball and trap people in the justice system. "It seems like it's rigged against you," he said.
