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Trial Begins for Detroit Officer Charged in Aiyana Jones' Death

The trial is set to begin Monday for Detroit officer charged with involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of Aiyana Jones.

The trial is set to begin today for the Detroit officer charged with involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of 7-year-old Aiyana Jones in May 2010.

Officer Joseph Weekley has pleaded not guilty to the charges. The jury is made up of nine men and four women, according to WDIV.

The shooting occurred during a raid that was being filmed for the A&E reality television show First 48. Weekley, a member of Detroit's Police Special Response Team, also faces a charge of careless discharge of a firearm causing death.

On the night of May 16, 2010, Detroit police staged a raid on a two-family home. They were looking for Chauncey Owens, the fiance of Aiyana's aunt, who was wanted in connection with a murder outside a local convenience store.

Police launched a flash grenade through a window and burst through the front door where, tragically, Aiyana was sleeping on the couch on the first floor of the home. In the melee, she was fatally shot by a bullet from Weekley’s gun. Detroit police have said Weekley's gun accidentally discharged after he was bumped or jostled by the girl's grandmother.
BET.com's Britt Middleton contributed to this report.

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(Photo: Detroit Free Press/MCT/Landov)

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