Officer in George Floyd’s death goes on trial in Minn.
Minneapolis is gearing up for this month’s trial of Derek Chauvin, the former police officer charged in George Floyd’s death, which led to nationwide protests and calls for an end to police brutality last summer.
On May 25, Chauvin was seen on video kneeling on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes as Floyd cried out that he couldn’t breathe. Floyd, who was accused of using a counterfeit $20 bill, was handcuffed and pinned to the ground by three officers during the arrest. Chauvin continued to press his knee into Floyd’s neck minutes after he became nonresponsive as bystanders repeatedly asked officers to check for a pulse.
Chauvin and three other officers were fired a day after Floyd’s death and were charged the following week.
Floyd’s name became a rallying cry as protests spread to more than 1,700 cities and towns in all 50 states and around the world.
In Minneapolis, protesters demanded the officers be held accountable and called for police reform . Though many demonstrations were peaceful, businesses were looted on several nights, and a police station was burned.
Last month, city officials began solidifying security plans and establishing a security perimeter around City Hall, nearby buildings and the courthouse where jury selection will begin Monday. Streets will be closed, businesses will be boarded up and National Guard troops and hundreds of law enforcement officers will be in place in anticipation of potential unrest during the trial.
Mayor Jacob Frey said the trial probably will increase trauma for many, especially as the verdict draws near, and safety will be a top priority.
“We believe it is on us to honor the magnitude of this moment and ensure that our families in this city feel safe,” Frey said.
Question: When does Derek Chauvin’s trial start?
Answer: Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday. The prosecution and defense are set to start opening statements March 29.
Q: What is Chauvin charged with?
A: In May, Chauvin was charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter, but he may face additional charges.
An appeals court is considering a request by prosecutors to reinstate a third-degree murder charge against Chauvin. That count was dismissed in October by Judge Peter Cahill, who said that charge would apply only if a defendant put multiple people in danger and someone died. (According to Minnesota law, third-degree murder involves “perpetrating an act eminently dangerous to others and evincing a depraved mind.”)
The three other former officers involved – Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao – are charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter. They are scheduled for trial together in August.
Chauvin posted a $1 million bond in October and was released from state prison.
The Department of Justice launched an investigation in May into whether Chauvin and the other officers violated Floyd’s civil rights. Last week, new witnesses were called and a new grand jury was empaneled in that investigation, according to the Star Tribune and The New York Times.
Attorneys representing Floyd’s family filed a civil lawsuit in July in federal court against Chauvin, the other officers and the city of Minneapolis. The lawsuit claims that the officers used excessive force and violated Floyd’s constitutional rights and that the city is liable because it failed to properly train the officers.
Q: How can people watch the trial?
A: Chauvin’s trial will be livestreamed on Court TV, which will be the only network with cameras in the courtroom.
Visual and audio recordings are not typically allowed in Minnesota courtrooms without authorization from a judge. Cahill upheld his decision to livestream the trial in December because of immense global interest in the case and limited courthouse space.
Two members of the media will be allowed in the courtroom. The USA TODAY Network is sending a team of journalists.
Q: Where is the trial?
A: The trial will be held in the Hennepin County Government Center Courts Tower in downtown Minneapolis. The building, which has been the site of multiple demonstrations, is surrounded with barbed wire and concrete barriers.
Chauvin will be tried separately to adhere to physical social distancing restrictions during the pandemic, according to an order from Cahill.
Only those with approved credentials will be allowed inside the courtroom, including one member of the Floyd and Chauvin families, according to an order Cahill issued Monday.
“This has been a deeply painful and emotional year for every member of the Floyd family, many of whom intended to be in the courtroom to witness this trial,” family attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci said in a statement Tuesday. “While they understand the judge’s reasons to limit attendance in the courtroom, the family is understandably disappointed by this ruling.”
Q: What protests are planned?
A: More than a dozen activist groups, including Black Lives Matter Minnesota and Communities United Against Police Brutality, plan a demonstration outside the courthouse Monday, starting at 8:30 a.m. CST, KARE 11 reported.
“The people demand justice for all stolen lives. Convict all killer cops,” the coalition said. “Derek Chauvin represents what is wrong with police in Minneapolis and in this country, and now is the time to demand due justice for George Floyd and set the precedent in seeking justice for every stolen life.”
The George Floyd Global Memorial will hold a gathering with faith leaders at George Floyd Square at 8 a.m. CST, ending in a candlelight vigil at 6 p.m., some of which will be livestreamed, according to the group’s website.
Q: Are police being tried in any other killings of Black Americans?
A: Floyd’s death was one of several high-profile incidents of violence against African Americans – almost all involving police, all but one fatal.
Amid protests, other police officers and chiefs have been fired, resigned or charged; states and cities announced they were cutting funding for police departments and criminalizing the use of deadly restraints; and federal lawmakers introduced a sweeping police overhaul bill bearing Floyd’s name.
Several grand juries declined to bring charges against officers accused of killing unarmed Black people.
Protests kicked off in Kentucky after no Louisville police officers were charged with killing Breonna Taylor when they fired their weapons into her apartment last year. In New York, grand jurors declined to bring an indictment against officers involved in the death of Daniel Prude, 41, who died in Rochester.