FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) — A jury was selected Wednesday in the trial of a man charged with trying to assassinate Donald Trump while he played golf last year in South Florida.
The panel of 12 jurors and four alternates was sworn in on the third day of jury selection at the federal courthouse in Fort Pierce, Florida. The jury has four white men, one Black man, six white women, and one Black woman. The alternates are two white men and two white women.
Ryan Routh’s trial begins nearly a year after prosecutors say a U.S. Secret Service agent thwarted Routh’s attempt to shoot the Republican presidential nominee. Routh, 59, has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer and several firearm violations.
Routh is representing himself after U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon agreed to let him dismiss his court-appointed attorneys. They are, however, standing by in the courtroom if needed.
Cannon did not say Wednesday morning when opening statements would begin, though they had been tentatively scheduled for Thursday.
Since Monday, attorneys, Routh and the judge have screened about 180 potential jurors, with about 96 left in the pool on Tuesday night. The panel was selected following additional screening Wednesday.
