Freddie Gray jury may be seated Wednesday in Baltimore

Two people in Tuesday’s pool of potential jurors stood when asked if they knew Gray.

Officer William Porter is charged with manslaughter, assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment. Gray died of a broken neck after his ride in the van. The start of the trial in Baltimore also follows months of arguments from defense attorneys that a fair jury can not possibly be seated in the city, given the high profile of the case and its impact on local residents. Most of the potential jurors were black, which mirrors Baltimore’s population.

That process began Monday, when a pool of about 75 potential jurors was questioned by Williams and the attorneys – first collectively in open court and then one by one in a private conference room.

Sixty-eight of the prospective jurors Tuesday were slated for individual interviews after indicating they might have some sort of bias or medical or personal issue that could disqualify them from service.

It remains unclear how long jury selection will take or whether progress was being made in selecting an impartial panel, although Williams said early Monday he hoped to begin the trial in earnest in a “day or two”. He said some received instructions to return Wednesday, when the process will continue. The judge will seat a jury of 12 with a handful of alternates. Williams told the prospective jurors in the pool of 75 to return to court on Wednesday unless notified in the interim that they have been dismissed.

On Monday, the Huffington Post premiered a 2-minute-and-15-second snippet of “Change”, a song inspired by the death of Freddie Gray and other recent fatal incidents involving police officers.

Porter is charged with manslaughter, assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment.

Gray, 25, died of a spinal cord injury suffered in the back of a police van after he was arrested on April 12, prosecutors said.

By the time the van arrived at the Western District police station, Gray was not breathing and was in cardiac arrest, according to charging documents. “There is no information about the backgrounds of the parents of the six officers who are charged with killing Freddie Gray”. None said they had not “heard about” the Freddie Gray case and its aftermath.

Williams has said Porter’s trial is expected to end by December 17.