Jury selection begins Tuesday in the trial of Thomas Johnson III, who is accused in the fatal shooting of Rochester Police Officer Daryl Pierson last September. Pierson was the first RPD officer fatally shot since 1959.
He faces charges that include aggravated murder, which is the killing of a police officer, and if convicted would face a sentence of life in prison without parole.
The 39 year old Johnson is also facing a charge of shooting a bystander, who survived.
Jury selection is expected to continue for a number of days, partly due to the widespread publicity the case has received.
State Supreme Court Justice Thomas Moran, who is presiding at the trial, has set aside a month for the trial.
The 32 year old Pierson was an eight-year veteran of the police force. His survivors include his wife Amy, and his two children. Amy Pierson has said she plans to be at the trial every day.
