Derek Chauvin trial: Witnesses questioned by lawyers
Chauvin, who has pleaded not guilty, is facing multiple murder charges.
The trial for Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged in the death of George Floyd, began Monday in Minneapolis.
He faces charges of manslaughter, second-degree murder and third-degree murder.
The trial is expected to last four weeks.
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Attorneys for George Floyd’s family speak ahead of trial
The civil rights attorneys representing the family of George Floyd -- Benjamin Crump, Antonio Romanucci and L. Chris Stewart as well as the Rev. Al Sharpton -- spoke to reporters Monday morning.
“Today starts a landmark trial that will be a referendum on how far America has come in its quest for equality and justice for all,” Crump said, with Floyd’s family present.
Crump stressed that the evidence against Chauvin speaks for itself, saying this “murder case is not hard."
“We're not asking for anything extraordinary,” Crump said. “We're asking for equal justice under the law.”
ABC News’ Arielle Mitropoulos contributed to this report.
15th juror to be excused
Hennepin County District Court Judge Peter Cahill will excuse the 15th juror chosen for Chauvin's trial as court gets underway.
The first 14 jurors are present and will be sworn in and seated.
Eight jurors are white and six are people of color, including four jurors who self-identify as Black. There are nine women and five men.
ABC News’ Whitney Lloyd contributed to this report.
3rd witness, who told Chauvin to stop kneeling on Floyd, testifies
Donald Williams, the professional mixed martial arts fighter who can be heard in a witness video criticizing Minneapolis police officers during their encounter with Floyd, was called by the prosecution as its third witness Monday.
Williams was walking around the corner from the Cup Foods when he heard a commotion and saw Floyd on the ground with Chauvin kneeling over him, he testified.
Floyd "was speaking in a distressed way" when Williams got there, vocalizing to the officers that he was in pain and that he wanted his mom, Williams said.
"His breathing was getting tremendously heavy," Williams said, adding that it was apparent that he was struggling to gasp for air.
At one point, Floyd's eyes then "slowly rolled to the back of his head" and his nose started bleeding, and soon after he was "lifeless," Williams said.
Williams said his experience as a fighter led him to believe that Chauvin's position on Floyd's neck was putting Floyd in imminent danger.
Another witness on the scene who is a paramedic told the officers multiple times to check Floyd's pulse, but no one did, Williams said.