Black Juror Dropped From Trial With Race Overtones

In an odd twist to an already complicated legal case, a Torrance Superior Court judge on Thursday called jurors into his chambers for interviews and then dismissed one of them after others on the panel said the man was biased.

Judge John P. Shook replaced Harold Winston, 32, with an alternate juror after hearing two hours of testimony by Winston’s fellow jurors, many of whom accused the Hawthorne man of making statements during deliberations that showed he harbors an inherent bias against police officers. Winston vehemently denied the charge, saying that jurors who disagreed with him during deliberations misinterpreted statements he made and then conspired to have him removed from the panel.

Winston, the only black juror, said he believes racism played a role in his removal. The defendant in the murder case, Charles Mack Moore, also is black and the case involves a raid and shooting by white Gardena police officers.