Prosecutors alleged in opening arguments that former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin “betrayed” his badge by using unnecessary force on George Floyd last May.
“[Chauvin] used excessive and unnecessary force on the body of Mr. George Floyd [when] he put his knees upon his neck and back, grinding and crushing him until the very life was squeezed out of him,” prosecutor Jerry Blackwell told the court on Monday morning. “You will learn that [Chauvin] was aware that Mr. Floyd was unarmed, [and] that Mr. Floyd did not threaten anyone.”
DEATH AND ‘AUTONOMOUS ZONE’ GRIP GEORGE FLOYD SQUARE AHEAD OF CHAUVIN TRIAL
The prosecution then played the entirety of a video showing Floyd’s arrest and subsequent death, a dramatic moment in a case that has gripped the entire country.
Blackwell repeatedly focused on the nine minutes and 29 seconds in which Chauvin restrained Floyd, arguing that any surrounding circumstances leading to the arrest, such as Floyd’s alleged use of a $20 counterfeit bill at a local market or previous interactions with law enforcement, are irrelevant.
In his remarks, Blackwell acknowledged that Floyd “struggled with an opioid addiction for many years,” seemingly trying to get ahead of the defense’s argument that Chauvin’s restraint technique contributed little to his death. He also argued that Floyd’s toxicology report, which showed high levels of narcotics in his system at the time of death, is misleading — as habitual users of opiates grow a tolerance after a short period of time.
“Chauvin was a 19-year veteran of the Minneapolis Police Department and had been trained in CPR multiple times,” Blackwell said. “When George Floyd asked for help, he didn’t help and stopped others from doing so.”
Monday marked the beginning of what is expected to be a potentially lengthy and tense trial. Jury selection for the case hit several bumps as the defense made complaints about the city’s conduct, such as its decision to release the terms of a civil settlement with Floyd’s family.
Motions by the defense to delay and relocate the trial were denied by Judge Peter Cahill, who is overseeing the case. Despite Cahill’s insistence of holding the trial in Minneapolis, he pleaded with city officials to stop interfering with the court’s business.
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“[Floyd] was not just an object of excessive force. He was a real person. He was a father, a brother, a cousin, a friend to many,” Blackwell told the jury. “He was somebody to a lot of other bodies in the world.”
Chauvin faces two counts of murder and one count of manslaughter for the death of Floyd.
