By TAMMY WEBBER
Associated Press

Experts say intense public scrutiny likely led to a racially diverse jury in the trial of the white Dallas police officer who fatally shot a black neighbor in his own apartment.

And they say that diversity may have been an important factor in Amber Guyger’s conviction and 10-year prison sentence.

The case ignited debate over race and policing. Critics questioned whether race played a factor in Guyger’s decision to use deadly force.

Alex Piquero is a criminologist at the University of Texas at Dallas. He says the trial “had a magnifying glass on it,” and jury selection was a fairer process because of that.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys, he says, likely realized there would be a huge public outcry if the jury had been mostly white.

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