Derek Chauvin Trial: George Floyd Did Not Die from Drug Overdose, Prosecutor Says
Channel: 9TEEN NEWS
Date: 30/03/2021

The video of George Floyd gasping for breath was essentially Exhibit A as the former Minneapolis police officer who pressed his knee on the Black man's neck went on trial Monday on charges of murder and manslaughter.

Prosecutor Jerry Blackwell showed the jurors the footage at the earliest opportunity, during opening statements, after telling them that the number to remember was 9 minutes, 29 seconds — the amount of time officer Derek Chauvin had Floyd pinned to the pavement last May.

The white officer "didn't let up" even after a handcuffed Floyd said 27 times that he couldn't breathe and went limp, Blackwell said in the case that triggered worldwide protests, scattered violence and national soul-searching over racial justice.

Chauvin attorney Eric Nelson countered by arguing: "Derek Chauvin did exactly what he had been trained to do over his 19-year career."

Blackwell, however, rejected the argument that Floyd's drug use or any underlying health conditions were to blame, saying it was the officer's knee that killed him.

Chauvin, 45, is charged with unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter.

The most serious charge, the second-degree murder count, carries up to 40 years in prison. This is the first trial ever televised in Minnesota.