The trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the death of George Floyd is due to begin on Monday with the screening of jurors to weigh murder and manslaughter charges.
The judge has set aside three weeks for jury selection, mindful of the difficulties finding impartial Minneapolitans in the case, which has drawn international attention.
The court mailed prospective jurors an unusually detailed 16-page questionnaire last year asking them what they know about Floyd’s death on May 25 on the street after his arrest outside a Minneapolis grocery store.
Among the questions: Have they seen video of his death? Recorded on bystanders’ cellphones and police body-worn cameras, they show Chauvin, who is white, with his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes as Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man in handcuffs, pleads for his life before falling still.
Have they taken part in the protests that followed? Video of Floyd’s dying words — “I can’t breathe” — spread online within hours.
Read more at NEWSMAX.
{Matzav.com}
