Jury selection got underway on Tuesday morning in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin over the killing of African-American George Floyd on May 25
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th March, 2021) Jury selection got underway on Tuesday morning in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin over the killing of African-American George Floyd on May 25.During Tuesday's proceedings, Hennepin County District Court Judge Peter Cahill cautioned the panel of prospective jurors not to watch any media coverage of the case during the trial.
Jury selection was initially due to begin on Monday but was delayed so that Cahill could first to hear from the state of Minnesota Court of Appeals whether a third-degree murder count can be added to charges brought against Chauvin.
The former police officer is already charged with second-degree unintentional murder and second-degree manslaughter. He pleaded not guilty.
Though the appeals court has yet to issue its decision on that point, Cahill began screening the pool of possible jurors. The process of jury selection could take up to three weeks.
Floyd's in-custody death, which was captured on a bystander's cellphone video, sparked a wave of protests across the United States against racially motivated police brutality.
