LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Jury selection was scheduled to begin Tuesday morning in the trial of Pedro Espinoza, who is accused in the shooting death of Los Angeles High School football player Jamiel Shaw.
Shaw, 19, was shot once in the head while on the sidewalk outside his home four years ago. Espinoza, a known gang member and illegal immigrant, was also 19 when he allegedly gunned down Shaw.
The crime sparked outrage from the community. Shaw was a star running back at Los Angeles High School and had been attracting scholarship attention from schools like Stanford and Rutgers at the time of his death.
Espinoza had just been released from the L.A. County Jail on a gun charge the day before Shaw was killed. Shaw's family says if Espinoza had been deported because of his illegal status, Shaw would still be alive.
The family tried but failed to get a law passed that would allow police to arrest gang members if they are in the country illegally. However the LAPD has an established policy against stopping people based on their immigration status.
Espinoza could face the death penalty if he is convicted.
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