Jurors heard testimony from a series of witnesses today in the trial of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin.
Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd.
Floyd died in May 2020 after Chauvin placed his knee on Floyd’s neck while he pleaded, “I can’t breathe.” His final moments, recorded on video, led to widespread protests against police brutality and racism as well as incidents of unrest.
Our live coverage of the trial has ended for the day. Read more about the trial here.
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Two Minneapolis police officers testified today. Here's what else happened in the Chauvin trial this week.
Jurors heard from two Minneapolis police officers today during the fifth day of testimony in the murder trial of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin.
The high-ranking officers described what they saw on May 25, 2020, at the scene after George Floyd died. Trial proceedings ended early Friday, but will resume Monday morning.
Here’s what happened today in court:
Lt. Richard Zimmerman, who leads the Minneapolis Police’s homicide unit and responded to the crime scene the night Floyd died, told the court that the use of force by Chauvin against Floyd was “totally unnecessary.” Zimmerman said the restraint should have “absolutely” stopped once Floyd was handcuffed and on the ground. The lieutenant said the actions like those used on Floyd are not part of police department training, saying “if your knee is on a person’s neck, that could kill them.”
Sgt. Jon Curtis Edwards was an overnight sergeant working at the Minneapolis Police Department’s third precinct the night Floyd died. He described how he secured the crime scene and made contact with J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane, who were the only two officers there. Edwards said he had his body camera activated when he arrived, but neither officer had their body camera on when he met them. He asked both of them to activate them.
What else happened this week: Jurors heard testimony from bystanders described the moment they witnessed Chauvin kneel on Floyd’s neck. Here’s a recap of their statements:
Day 1: Trial proceedings started with opening statements from the prosecution and defense. Prosecutors revealed that Chauvin was on Floyd’s neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds — an update on the initially reported 8 minutes and 46 seconds. After opening statements, jurors heard from three witnesses, including a 911 dispatcher, an employee from a nearby gas station and a professional mixed martial arts fighter who stumbled upon the scene.
Day 2: Six bystanders testified on the second day of Chauvin’s criminal trial: a 9-year-old girl, three high school students, a mixed martial arts fighter and a Minneapolis firefighter. They described their feelings of horror and fear as they watched Floyd slowly die under Chauvin’s knee.
Day 3: The third day of Chauvin’s trial featured testimony from several bystanders who interacted with Floyd as well as graphic excerpts of police body camera footage showing his arrest and final moments. In the videos, Floyd gasps that he’s claustrophobic, repeatedly says he can’t breathe and calls for his mother.
Day 4: Floyd’s girlfriend spoke about Floyd’s struggles with opioid addiction, and several first responders said that Floyd appeared dead when they arrived on the scene. A former police shift supervisor testified that Chauvin’s use of force should have ended earlier. The jury also heard Chauvin explain his version of what happened in a call captured on body-camera footage.
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Court has adjourned for the day
Proceedings in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin have wrapped for the day.
The trial will resume Monday at 9:15 a.m. local time.
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Minneapolis police training does not allow for actions used on Floyd, lieutenant says
From CNN’s Aaron Cooper in Minneapolis
Witness Lt. Richard Zimmerman of the Minneapolis Police Department testifies on April 2 in the trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Court TV/Pool/AP
The most senior officer on the Minneapolis police department testified Thursday that actions like those used on George Floyd are not part of police department training, saying “if your knee is on a person’s neck, that could kill them.”
Lt. Richard Zimmerman, who supervises the Minneapolis Police Department homicide unit, testified that actions like those used on Floyd are not part of police department training.
Former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin put his knee on Floyd’s neck while he lay handcuffed outside of Cup Foods as Floyd told Chauvin and three other officers that he could not breathe.
Zimmerman is the longest serving officer in the department, he told prosecutor Matthew Frank, and has been trained every year in the use of force.
He said he has never been trained by the Minneapolis Police Department to kneel on the back of a suspect.
“That would be the top tier, the deadly force,” Zimmerman told prosecutor Matthew Frank.
There is a continuum of force that officers can use depending on the situation, that ranges from simply being on scene, to verbal skills, a “soft” technique like escorting a person by their arm, or hard techniques like handcuffs, all the way up to deadly force.
Once a person is in custody, their safety and well-being are the officers’ responsibility.
“Once you secure a person you need to get them out of the prone position as soon as possible because it restricts their breathing,” Zimmerman told the court. “Once a person is cuffed, you need to turn them on their side or have them sit up.”
Suspects are a much smaller threat to officers after they are in handcuffs.
When someone stops resisting, officers should work to calm them down.
“If they become less combative, you may just have them sit down on a curb. The idea is to calm the person down and if they are not a threat to you at that point, you try to help them so that they are not as upset as they may have been in the beginning,” Zimmerman testified.
On the night Floyd died, Zimmerman arrived at the corner where Cup Foods is located around 10 p.m. and walked up to officers J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane, body camera video showed.
Zimmerman determined they were “involved officers” and needed to go to city hall to be interviewed, he said.
Other officers were needed at the scene, so he testified he called in an on-call homicide team.
The state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) took over the case when the hospital determined Floyd had died, Zimmerman explained to the court.
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Chauvin's use of force for so long was "totally unnecessary," Minneapolis homicide unit leader says
From CNN's Adrienne Vogt
Pool
Lt. Richard Zimmerman, head of the Minneapolis Police’s homicide unit, said the use of force by former officer Derek Chauvin against George Floyd was “totally unnecessary.”
Zimmerman said the restraint should have “absolutely” stopped once Floyd was handcuffed and on the ground.
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The court is back from its 20-minute break
The trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin is back in session after a quick recess and witness testimony continues.
Earlier this morning, two Minneapolis police officers took the stand in the fifth day of testimony.
Remember: Today will be a shorter day than the first four days of testimony. The jury will be dismissed around 1 p.m. ET (noon local).
Judge Peter Cahill noted Thursday that the trial is ahead of schedule and there were some legal matters that needed to be addressed. It’s not clear if those legal issues will be discussed in open court after the jury leaves, or behind the scenes.
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The prosecution is now questioning a Minneapolis Police lieutenant
Pool
Minneapolis Police Lt. Richard Zimmerman took the stand in the trial of former officer Derek Chauvin, and he is being questioned by the prosecution.
He said he has been a police officer in Minneapolis since 1985 and currently works in the homicide unit.
Jon Curtis Edwards, a sergeant with the Minneapolis Police who secured the scene where George Floyd incident took place, testified earlier today.
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Minneapolis Police sergeant who secured crime scene after Floyd's death testifies about what he saw
From CNN’s Aaron Cooper in Minneapolis
Jon Curtis Edwards, a sergeant with the Minneapolis Police, just took the stand in the trial of former officer Derek Chauvin, who is charged in the death of George Floyd.
He’s been with the department since 2007, he testified.The prosecution is asking him details about the crime scene and reviewing footage from his body camera.
Edwards was an overnight sergeant working at the department’s third precinct the night Floyd died.
Edwards worked the shift after Sgt. David Pleoger, who testified Thursday that the force being used by Chauvin on Floyd should have stopped earlier.
Edwards told the court Pleoger called him and asked him to report to the scene of Floyd’s arrest at Cup Foods. The sergeant said he went to the location of the incident to “secure that area” and make contact with any “officers that were there on the scene still.”
Edwards said that he arrived to scene — 38th and Chicago — around 9:35 p.m. ET and only saw two officers there: J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane in their police car. “There weren’t many other people around when I arrived there,” he noted.
Edwards said he had his body camera activated when he arrived, but neither officer had their body camera on when he met them. He asked both of them to activate them.
The officers told Edwards where the incident with Floyd took place, and he instructed them to place crime scene tape around the area “so that we could preserve any potential evidence that was there.”
Other officers arrived, Edwards instructed them to guard the scene and look for witnesses.
He secured Kueng and Lane’s police car as well as the vehicle Floyd was driving until investigators came and towed them away.
Inside Cup Foods, Edwards spoke with the manager, he testified.
Two homicide officers arrived at the scene, including Sgt. Robert Dale and Lt. Richard Zimmerman, who took command of the scene and asked for more officers and a crime scene log. Dale later told Edwards that Floyd had died, he testified.
Lane and Kueng were separately taken to city hall to be questioned.
Special Agent Michael Phill with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) arrived and took over the scene around 11 p.m., Edwards testified.
After the BCA completed their investigation, Edwards helped take down the police tape and left the scene.
The defense did not cross examine Edwards.
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Court is in session for the 5th day of testimony in the Derek Chauvin trial
Pool
The fifth day of testimony in the murder trial of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin just started.
We’re expecting to hear from more witnesses today, but it will be a shorter day than the first four. The jury will be dismissed around 1 p.m. ET (noon local).
Judge Peter Cahill noted Thursday that the trial is ahead of schedule and there were some legal matters that needed to be addressed. It’s not clear if those legal issues will be discussed in open court after the jury leaves, or behind the scenes.
More on the trial: Chauvin put his knee on George Floyd’s neck on May 25, 2020 as Floyd told Chauvin and three other officers that he could not breathe.
He has pleaded not guilty to second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter charges.
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Hearing testimony about George Floyd's death can be difficult. Here are some resources that may help.
A mural of George Floyd is shown at the intersection of 38th St & Chicago Ave on March 31 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Witness testimony will continue soon in the trial of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin, who’s been charged in the death of George Floyd.
Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, died in May 2020 after Chauvin placed his knee on Floyd’s neck while he pleaded, “I can’t breathe.”
Hearing witnesses testify and dissect second-by-second accounts of the circumstances surrounding Floyd’s death can be tough.
You can contact any of the organizations above to find peer groups and other group counseling services. These organizations often have affiliates in cities that host group meetings. They offer coping mechanisms to deal with stress, depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions.
It’s always important to speak to someone and not feel that you’re facing this alone.
You can find more CNN resources that may help here.
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The trial is expected to resume at 10:15 a.m. ET with more witness testimony
From CNN’s Aaron Cooper
A man walks on the lawn outside the Hennepin County Government Center on April 1 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
Testimony in the trial of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin is expected to resume with the 18th witness at 10:15 a.m. ET (9:15 a.m. local).
Today is the 17th day of the trial and the fifth day of testimony.
The jury will be dismissed around 1 p.m. ET (noon local).
Judge Peter Cahill noted Thursday that the trial is ahead of schedule and there were some legal matters that needed to be addressed.
It’s not clear if those legal issues will be discussed in open court after the jury leaves, or behind the scenes.
More on the trial: Chauvin put his knee on George Floyd’s neck on May 25, 2020 as Floyd told Chauvin and three other officers that he could not breathe.
He has pleaded not guilty to second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter charges.
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Here's what you need to know about the jury in Derek Chauvin's trial
If convicted, Chauvin could face up to 40 years in prison for second-degree murder, up to 25 years for third-degree murder, and up to 10 years for second-degree manslaughter. The charges are to be considered separate, so Chauvin could be convicted of all, some or none of them.
While the jurors are unnamed and unseen on camera, we do know basic details about them.
Here’s what we know about the jury:
Five menand nine women were chosen to serve on the jury during the trial in Minneapolis.
Of the 14 jurors, eight are White, four are Black and two are mixed race, according to how the court says the jurors identified themselves.
The jury selection process began March 9 at the Hennepin County Government Center and wrapped up exactly two weeks later.
The panel is made up of 12 jurors and two alternates, Judge Peter Cahill said.
The jurors all come from Hennepin County, which is demographically about 74% White and 14% Black, according to census data.
In court, each person was sworn in and then questioned one-by-one in a process known as voir dire. The juror’s name, address and other information are kept anonymous.
Eric Nelson questioned the prospective jurors for the defense, while Steve Schleicher questioned them for the prosecution.
Cashier who took suspected counterfeit bill from Floyd: "I'm kind of like the big domino that fell"
From CNN’s Carma Hassan
Witness Christopher Martin answers questions on March 31 in the trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Christopher Martin, the former Cup Foods cashier who interacted with George Floyd before his death, spoke to ABC after testifying in former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin’s trial.
Martin said in court that he feels like if he hadn’t taken a suspected counterfeit $20 bill from Floyd, the situation could have been avoided.
To GMA, he said, “not only am I, like, the contributing factor, I’m kind of like the big domino that fell and then now all the small dominos are just scattered.”
Martin says the response after his testimony has been “extremely positive and extremely encouraging.”
He said he thought about Floyd’s children because he knows what it is like “to grow up in an African-American household without a father.”
“I just hope and pray that George’s daughters know that they can do it and it’s possible to do it, to make it and to be successful even if your father is no longer with you,” he said emotionally.
Martin also said, “The one thing I would say to Derek Chauvin is justice will be served.”
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Here's what happened yesterday in court in the Derek Chauvin trial
Defense attorney Eric Nelson, left, and defendant, former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin listen to testimony on April 1 at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis.
Court TV/Pool/AP
Testimony will continue today in the trial of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin, who has been charged in the death of George Floyd.
A series of witnesses, including paramedics and Floyd’s girlfriend, testified yesterday in court.
If you’re just reading in, here’s what happened yesterday during the trial:
Courteney Ross, Floyd’s girlfriend, testified she has been in a relationship with him since August 2017 and they were together until his death. Ross provided details about Floyd and their relationship. She described Floyd as “a momma’s boy,” saying he was devastated and “broken” when his mother died. Ross said he tested positive for Covid-19 in “late March” and that he had been quarantining.
Ross testified that they both struggled with opioid addiction. Prosecutors were the first to ask about opioid use during the trial to get ahead of some of the defense team’s arguments. Defense attorneys plan to make the case that Floyd died of unrelated medical issues and drug use, and they have argued Chauvin was following proper police protocol.
Paramedic Seth Zachary Bravinder, who provided medical assistance to Floyd, told the court that when he arrived at the scene, he could tell from a distance that Floyd wasn’t breathing. He also said he stopped the ambulance en route to the hospital so he could assist his partner in giving Floyd aid after he “flatlined” — a term he used to describe when “your heart isn’t really doing anything at that moment.”
Paramedic Derek Smith said that on May 25, 2020, he arrived on the scene and saw Floyd on the ground and three officers on top of him. “I walked up to the individual, noticed he wasn’t moving. I didn’t see any chest rise or fall on this individual,” Smith said.
When asked to describe Floyd’s overall condition he said, “in lay terms, I thought he was dead.” Smith said that when he checked Floyd, his pupils were “large” and “dilated,” and he did not detect a pulse. He said he did all he could do to try and revive Floyd. “[H]e’s a human being and I was trying to give him a second chance at life,” Smith said.
Fire Capt. Jeremy Norton testified that when he entered the ambulance, he saw “an unresponsive body on a cot.” After following the ambulance to the hospital, Norton said he ultimately filed a report with his supervisors detailing what he saw that day.
“I was aware that a man had been killed in police custody, and I wanted to notify my supervisors to notify the appropriate people above us in the city, in the fire department and whomever else, and then I also wanted to inform my deputy that there was an off-duty firefighter, who was a witness at the scene,” he added.
Retired Sgt. David Pleoger of the Minneapolis Police Department testified that the force being used by officers should have stopped earlier. “When Mr. Floyd was no longer offering up any resistance to the officers, they could have ended the restraint,” Pleoger told the court.
He also described a phone call he had with Chauvin on May 25, 2020, after Chauvin kneeled on Floyd’s neck. “I believe he told me that they had — tried to put Mr. Floyd — I didn’t know his name at the time, Mr. Floyd into the car. He had become combative,” Pleoger said recalling the conversation. “I think he mentioned that he had injured — either his nose or his mouth, a bloody lip, I think, and eventually after struggling with him, he suffered a medical emergency and an ambulance was called and they headed out of the scene.”
Witness to invoke the Fifth Amendment: The man who was sitting in a car with Floyd when police approached and removed them from the vehicle says he will not testify in the trial. Morries Hall will invoke the Fifth Amendment and not testify if he is called to the stand, according to a filing submitted by his public defender Adrienne Cousins.
HLN’s Mike Galanos and CNN’s Josh Campbell offer a recap of day four and a preview of what’s to come today:
