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.


    "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.