No jurors selected for trial of Wake deputy in assault on Raleigh man

Jury selection began Monday for the trial for a Wake County sheriff's deputy accused last year of striking a man and turning his police K-9 loose on the suspect in Raleigh.

Posted 10:42 p.m. May 3, 2019 — Updated 11:13 p.m. May 6, 2019

RALEIGH, N.C. — Jury selection began Monday in the trial of a Wake County deputy accused of turning his K-9 loose on a Raleigh man during an arrest last year.

No jurors were selected out of the 70-member pool on the first day, but prosecutors and the defense remain confident they can get a jury seated by the end of Tuesday.

Cameron Broadwell is charged with assault with a deadly weapon, inflicting serious injury, assault inflicting serious bodily injury and willfully failing to discharge duties.

The charges stem from an April 3, 2018, encounter with Kyron Hinton near the intersection of North Raleigh Boulevard and Yonkers Road.

Officers were responding to reports of a man, later identified as Hinton, with a gun yelling at passing cars.

No gun was found on Hinton, who said he was beaten and bitten while being taken into custody.

State Highway Patrol Troopers Michael Blake and Tabitha Davis were fired and charged with felony assault and willfully failing to discharge duties in the case.

Highway Patrol Sgt. Rodney Goswick also was fired, and he, Blake and Davis were charged with lying about their use of force during the incident.

Broadwell's family and friends gathered in court Monday to show their support. Hinton's mother was also there, along with civil rights advocates.

"What we are feeling is hopeful that we will see justice done in this case for Kyron Hinton and for all of the folks in Raleigh who are deserving of having a law enforcement community that is held accountable for bad actions," said Dawn Blagrove, executive director of Carolina Justice Policy Center.

Hinton died in February of a suspected overdose after receiving an $83,000 settlement from Wake County over the officers' actions.

Activists, community leaders react to Kyron Hinton's death

Emotions are expected to be high during the trial, and Superior Court Judge Paul Ridgeway warned spectators ahead of time to keep their cool.

"If there are disruptions, I am going to ask the bailiff [that] anyone who disrupts these proceedings to be taken outside," Ridgeway said.

Not many law enforcement officers in the Triangle are tried for job-related actions, and District Attorney Lorrin Freeman is expected to try the case herself and not delegate it to an assistant district attorney, according to a report.

Broadwell, who was placed on desk duty after allegations of abuse against him surfaced, has defended his actions in a court filing.

He noted that, in addition to being alerted by 911 dispatchers that the man in the street might be armed, a Highway Patrol trooper who was first on the scene issued a Code 10-18 for "urgent and immediate assistance ... to protect the safety of the public and the officer."

"Upon being approached by law enforcement, Mr. Hinton refused to comply with lawful and reasonable commands. His refusal to comply with law enforcement's lawful commands, his threatening manner, and the report that he possessed a firearm resulted in a response by law enforcement, including Deputy Broadwell, to neutralize any and all threats to the safety of the public and the responding officers," the court filing states.

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