Video showed Derek Chauvin pressing his knee into George Floyd’s neck, ignoring the Black man’s cries that he couldn’t breathe. But even with that powerful footage, legal experts say the case isn’t a slam dunk.
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The former police officer seen kneeling for about nine minutes on George Floyd’s neck
before he died in spring is due to go on trial, and Minneapolis is on edge, protesting, barricading and boarding up.
Several hundred people supporting the conviction of former Officer Derek Chauvin on murder charges
gathered across the Mississippi River on Saturday in front of the governor’s mansion in St. Paul, chanting, “Prosecute the police!”
More protests were planned Sunday and Monday outside the courthouse where the case will be heard in downtown Minneapolis, now lined with protective concrete barriers and razor wire. The criminal prosecution of Chauvin, due to be broadcast live on Court TV, is likely to be among the most closely watched in U.S. history.
Jury selection will begis Monday in Derek Chauvin’s trial, which is expected to come down to two key questions: Did Chauvin’s actions cause Floyd’s death, and were his actions reasonable?
MINNEAPOLIS - A Minneapolis police officer was swiftly fired and charged with murder after bystander video showed him pressing his knee into George Floy.