Former MN Police Officer Derek Chauvin Murder Trial Begins

At the opening statements of the trial for the murder of George Floyd, while being arrested by a Minneapolis police officer last May, Prosecutor Jerry Blackwell said: "You will learn that on 25 May of 2020, Mr. Derek Chauvin betrayed his badge when he used excessive and unreasonable force upon the body of Mr. George Floyd. That he put his knees upon his neck and his back, grinding and crushing him, until the very breath - no, ladies and gentlemen, until the very life - was squeezed out of him," Mr. Blackwell added.

RELATED:

US: House Passes Police Reform Bill Named After George Floyd

Mr. Blackwell said Chauvin did not even take his knee off Floyd’s neck when his breathing became shallow and then stopped or when the paramedics arrived to treat him. He said the Minneapolis Police Department chief and several police officers and experts in police training would be testifying for the prosecution at the trial. 

At the trial of officer Derek Chauvin, the jury was shown a video taken by a bystander of the officer kneeling on George Floyd’s neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds. Prosecutor Jerry Blackwell told the jurors Chauvin did not “let up or get up” as Floyd repeated 27 times that he was struggling to breathe.

The arrest video triggered nationwide protests and riots last year by people complaining about police abuse of African-Americans. In the video, Floyd is shown handcuffed and face down on the pavement, calling for his mother and pleading for his life.

Chauvin denies second and third-degree murder and manslaughter. The defense is expected to claim Floyd died due to his health issues, including suffering from COVID-19.

Chauvin had eighteen complaints on his official record, two of which ended in department discipline, including official reprimand letters. He had been involved in three police shootings, one of which was fatal. A club owner where Chauvin had worked as a security guard also said that Chauvin had sometimes used overly aggressive tactics when dealing with black patrons, responding to fights by spraying the crowd with mace rather than dealing with those who were fighting.

​The prosecutor said the offense which Floyd faced was a “misdemeanor,” for which they could have simply given him a ticket. But instead, they chose to arrest him and hold him on the ground in handcuffs. Mr. Blackwell said: "One of those things that this case is not about: all police, all policing. Police officers have difficult jobs...They sometimes have to make split-second life and death decisions… This case is about Mr. Derek Chauvin."

​