America awaits jury decision

The murder case against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin over the death of George Floyd has gone to the jury.

Twelve jurors – six of them white, and six black or multiracial – were beginning deliberations in a city on edge against another round of unrest.

During closing arguments yesterday, prosecutors said Chauvin squeezed the life out of Mr Floyd by pinning his knee against his neck, ignoring bystanders, his own training and common sense.

The defence argued that the now-fired white officer acted reasonably and the 46-year-old Floyd died of an underlying heart condition and illegal drug use.

But Chauvin “had to know” he was squeezing the life out of Mr Floyd as he cried over and over that he could not breathe and finally fell silent, a prosecutor told the jury during closing arguments.

“Use your common sense. Believe your eyes. What you saw, you saw,” Steve Schleicher said, referring to the video of Mr Floyd pinned to the pavement with Chauvin’s knee on or close to his neck last May for up to nine minutes as bystanders yelled at the white officer to get off.

Chauvin’s lawyer Eric Nelson countered by arguing that Chauvin did what any “reasonable” police officer would have done after finding himself in a “dynamic” and “fluid” situation involving a large man struggling with three police officers.

Prosecutor Jerry Blackwell had the final word, offering the state’s rebuttal argument. He said questions about the use of force and cause of death are “so simple that a child can understand it”.

“In fact, a child did understand it, when the nine-year-old girl said, ‘Get off of him’,” Mr Blackwell said, referring to a young witness who objected to what she saw. “That’s how simple it was. ‘Get off of him’. Common sense.”

Chauvin, 45, is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. All three charges require the jury to conclude that Chauvin’s actions were a “substantial causal factor” in Mr Floyd’s death and that his use of force was unreasonable.

Second-degree intentional murder carries up to 40 years in prison, third-degree murder 25 years, and second-degree manslaughter 10 years.

DEADLY INCIDENT: Police bodycam footage as they move in on George Floyd in his car.