Jury selection begins in city officer's death

A group of 250 Philadelphians began going through the winnowing process Monday that will yield a Common Pleas Court jury of 12 to hear the death penalty trial of Rasheed Scrugs, accused killer of Philadelphia Police Officer John Pawlowski. The prospective jurors were queried by Judge Renee Cardwell Hughes about their feelings on the death penalty and how much they knew about the Feb. 13, 2009, shooting.

Scrugs, 35, a West Philadelphia parolee, is accused of initiating the fatal shootout with police at Broad Street and Olney Avenue after a cabdriver there called 911 and said Scrugs was threatening him.

Pawlowski, 25, an officer for five years, was hit in the upper chest by a bullet that passed over the top of his bulletproof vest. He was the most recent city police officer killed in the line of duty, following a deadly three years in which seven officers died. Scrugs could face the death penalty if found guilty of first-degree murder.

Prospective jurors return Tuesday for individual questioning by the judge, Assistant District Attorneys Edward McCann and Jacqueline Juliano Coelho, and defense attorneys Lee Mandell and David Rudenstein. Jury selection is expected to last through the week. - Joseph A. Slobodzian