The trial for the ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin charged in connection to George Floyd’s death is to resume Tuesday with testimony from an MMA fighter who witnessed Floyd’s arrest.
Donald Williams, a former wrestler who said he was trained in mixed martial arts including chokeholds, was among the first prosecution witnesses as trial opened for Chauvin, 45, who is charged with second-degree and third-degree murder and manslaughter in Floyd's death.
During opening statements Monday, Minnesota prosecutor Jerry Blackwell took the earliest opportunity possible to show the jurors the bystander video that captured Floyd’s arrest on May 25, 2020. He told them the number to remember was 9 minutes, 29 seconds — the amount of time Chauvin had Floyd pinned to the pavement during the arrest.
FAST FACTS
- In May, prosecutors said in their initial criminal complaint that Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd's neck for 8 minutes, 46 seconds -- which became a rallying cry for protesters. The timeline was revised during the investigation.
- The cause of death is expected to be a pivotal factor in the case, as both sides argue whether Chauvin's knee or drugs in Floyd's system resulted in his demise.
"My stomach hurts. My neck hurts. Everything hurts," Floyd says in the video, and: "I can’t breathe, officer." Onlookers repeatedly shout at Chauvin to get off Floyd, saying he is not moving, breathing or resisting. One woman, identifying herself as a city Fire Department employee, shouts at Chauvin to check Floyd’s pulse.
While prosecutors argued Chauvin was to blame for Floyd’s death, defense attorney Eric Nelson told the court Floyd, 46, had no signs of asphyxiation and he had fentanyl and methamphetamine in his system. He said Floyd’s drug use, combined with his heart disease, high blood pressure and the adrenaline flowing through his body, caused a heart rhythm disturbance that killed him.
Another prosecution witness who testified Monday was Minneapolis police dispatcher Jena Scurry, who told the court that she saw part of Floyd's arrest unfolding via a city surveillance camera and was so disturbed that she called a police sergeant because the officers hadn’t moved after several minutes.
Fox News will present coverage surrounding the historic trial throughout the week. In addition to programming on the Fox News Channel, Fox News Digital will provide livestreams of the proceeding at foxnews.1eye.us.
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