Buffalo, NY (WBEN) Jury selection is set to begin Monday in the trial of Deyanna Davis, accused of striking police officers with her car during Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.
The incident occurred on Bailey Avenue as Davis drove through a large protest that was underway in the area. Through a representative statement distributed Monday, Davis claims she was disoriented after coming upon the protest and driving beyond a police line, during which an officer was injured.
Attorney Paul Cambria anticipates the defense will look at that Davis' claim that she was confused at the time. "She is claiming there was gunfire, that there was tear gas and other things that caused an emerging kind of situation, and that she was trying to escape that rather than to run into police officers," says Cambria. He says it'll depend if there's footage if there's video footage and so on, that demonstrates a lot of chaos.
Cambria says when it comes to jury selection, the defense will look for more liberal candidates. "There are obviously a number of people who think that police officers act in a manner that's inappropriate. We've seen what happened with some of the cases around the nation," explains Cambria. But he believes that's going to be a challenge because most potential jurors are law and order citizens. "I just recently was picking a jury and a homicide case. And based on all the juries I picked in the past, I can tell you that you find more conservative Law and Order people than you do," explains Cambria.
Davis is charged with aggravated assault upon a police officer, assault in the second degree, criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, and criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree.
State Trooper Ronald Ensminger was the most seriously injured, suffering a broken leg and shattered pelvis.
Myles Carter, a representative for Davis, issued the following statement early Monday:
"Deyanna's case is one that showcases the discrimination that exists within the criminal justice system, intent is required for a conviction of assault in the first degree, and what transpired that evening was clearly an accident – in which the police and troopers have admitted that their own protocol was not followed."
"We're calling for an end to the malicious prosecution of Deyanna Davis and the current feeding frenzy, through the Erie County District Attorney's Office, on Black people and communities of color."
