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Jury selection continues in trial of man accused of Hot Springs police officer death

Headway was made in the jury selection process during the second day of trial for the Garland County man in connection to the death of Hot Springs police officer.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — The trial of Kayvon Ward, the Garland County man connected with the death of Hot Springs police officer Brent Scrimshire, continued on Tuesday. And headway was made on the second day of the trial.

Ward was originally arrested back in 2020 after he was pulled over by Scrimshire for a traffic violation.

Officer Scrimshire allegedly noticed a child in the backseat of Ward's car without a safety seat and then asked Ward to either call someone to pick up the child or to provide a seat.

Coraima Hernandez then arrived, and as she spoke to the officers, Ward ran off into a nearby backyard. He then allegedly fired back at officers and ended up hitting Officer Scrimshire.

Ward, as well as multiple members of the potential jury, appeared back in the Garland County Circuit Court on Tuesday.

Throughout the course of the day, jurors were questioned by the prosecution, which was led by prosecuting attorney Kara Petro, and the defense, led by Bill James.

Over half of the 12 juror spots were filled when proceedings wrapped up in the afternoon, and the remaining spots are to be filled on Wednesday.

While both sides were unable to comment on the trial due to a gag order in effect, Defense Attorney Bill James said that jury selection was happening slowly.

Potential jurors were questioned on multiple different topics to decide who would become one of the 12 official jurors in the case— and to ensure there was a fair panel of Ward's peers.

The jurors were asked questions that ranged from their knowledge of the case and connections with involved parties to their thoughts on the death penalty and race relations in America.

Jury selection will continue on Wednesday morning.

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