Brian North

Jury selection is complete in trooper Brian North's trial after 2020 death of teen

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Jury selection in the trial of Connecticut State Police trooper Brian North is now complete, according to court officials.

North is charged with killing 19-year-old Mubarak Soulemane after a police chase in January 2020. He has pleaded not guilty.

State police said Soulemane carjacked a vehicle in Norwalk and then drove roughly 30 miles weaving in and out of rush-hour traffic before stopping in West Haven.

Body camera footage shows how police boxed in the car Soulemane was driving.

The footage shows a West Haven officer smashing out the passenger window before another trooper shot Soulemane with a stun gun.

North then fired his gun through the driver's door window when Soulemane displayed a knife.

Soulemane died from his injuries. His family said he was a community college student who had schizophrenia.

Court officials said there are six jurors and three alternates. The majority of the jury is male, and the last member was selected on Tuesday.

The Inspector General released a report saying that when North fired his weapon, he and the other officers were not in imminent danger of serious injury or death and found North's actions were not justified.

North was arrested in April 2022 and at his first court appearance, he had several of his fellow troopers show up to support him.

The state police union said North acted objectively during a violent encounter when he was forced to make a decision during dangerous and rapidly evolving circumstances.

North is the first officer in more than a decade here in Connecticut to be charged in a fatal shooting.

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