Rosfeld jury will come from Dauphin County

The jury that will hear the case against the former East Pittsburgh police officer who killed Antwon Rose II will come from Dauphin County.

The state Supreme Court’s order about bringing in a jury from elsewhere — known as a change of venire — was dated Friday.

Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Alexander Bicket last week ordered that the jury that will hear the case against Mr. Rosfeld must be chosen from outside of the Pittsburgh area based on the amount of publicity the June 19 shooting received.

The death of 17-year-old Antwon, who was unarmed as he fled from a felony traffic stop conducted by Mr. Rosfeld following a drive-by shooting in North Braddock, generated intense public scrutiny and led to weeks of protests, some of which closed the

Parkway East and streets Downtown as protesters demanded that Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. file charges against Mr. Rosfeld.

The former officer is charged with a single count of homicide and asked for a jury from outside of Allegheny County to hear the case.

Following three separate instances of polling potential jurors in a sample, Judge Bicket agreed to choose the jury elsewhere.

Dauphin County, which includes Harrisburg and Hershey, also was the site chosen to pick jurors in the case against Richard Poplawski, who was convicted and sentenced to death, for killing three Pittsburgh police officers in 2009.

Jury selection for Mr. Rosfeld is set to begin in late February.