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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    "My instincts were telling me that something was wrong," 911 dispatcher says

    Jena Scurry, the Minneapolis 911 dispatcher, told the court she had a "gut instinct" that something was wrong.

    Scurry said she continued to take calls but noticed that the squad car in front of the Cup Foods did not have officers surrounding it.

    The next time Scurry looked up, she saw the officers placing Floyd in the back of the car.


    Scurry said she later knew "something might be wrong" when she saw Floyd on the ground.

    When Assistant Minnesota Attorney General Matthew Frank asked what made her think something was amiss, Scurry said dispatchers rarely see videos of active scenes on those cameras. Moreover, the fact that Floyd went from the back of the squad car to the ground and officers had not requested additional assistance worried her, Scurry said.

    "I took that instinct and called the sergeant" who supervises police officers, she said.

    Court recessed for lunch after Frank was done questioning Scurry.


    Prosecution questions 1st witness

    Jena Scurry, a 911 dispatcher who watched Floyd’s encounter with police unfold on a fixed police camera, was the first witness to take the stand Monday.

    Scurry began by explaining the tools she utilizes to do her job. She said dispatchers have access to cameras that are placed around the city.


    Opening statements have wrapped.


    Floyd was struggling with officers before Chauvin arrived, defense says

    Floyd was struggling with officers who were trying to get him in a squad car when Chauvin arrived on the scene, Nelson said.

    After Chauvin asked whether Floyd was under arrest, he assisted the other officers in their attempts to get Floyd in the car.

    The struggle was so profound that the squad car could be seen rocking back and forth in a fixed police camera. The image caught the attention of a police dispatcher, Nelson said.

    Chauvin then used what is called a "maximal restraint technique" to restrain Floyd, Nelson said.

    "You will learn that Derek Chauvin did exactly what he was trained to do over the course of his 19-year career," Nelson said.


    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.