Minneapolis braces for trial of officer charged in George Floyd’s death
Minneapolis residents were bracing Sunday for the opening of what is sure to be one of the nation’s most closely watched trials in years – that of the white policeman charged with killing George Floyd, a black man whose dying struggles were captured on a video seen around the world.
Derek Chauvin – the now former city officer who used his knee to pin a pleading, gasping Floyd by the neck to the pavement for nearly nine minutes – faces second-degree murder and manslaughter charges in the Hennepin County district court.
Floyd’s death laid bare already sore racial wounds in the US, sparking months of sometimes violent protests against racial injustice and police brutality, both in the US and abroad.
Jury selection begins at 9:00 am (1500 GMT) Monday, as lawyers for both sides face the difficult task of finding jurors who, in the intensely publicized case, have not already made up their minds about Chauvin’s guilt.
The process is expected to take up to three weeks, with arguments slated to begin on March 29. But protesters were already gathering near the courthouse on Sunday, with many holding up “Black Lives Matter” placards and demanding “justice for George Floyd.”
Chauvin’s case promises to be extraordinary: It will feature star attorneys, be held under tight security and be livestreamed.
