George Floyd news: Witness says Derek Chauvin used ‘blood choke’ as Floyd ‘pleaded for his life’
Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer facing murder charges in the death of George Floyd, is introduced to potential jurors during jury selection in his trial in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US, 15 March, 2021
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The first day of Derek Chauvin's trial over the death of George Floyd has come to an end, with the former Minneapolis police officer's defence saying that the use of force is "not attractive" but is a necessary part of policing.
After opening statements, the court heard from three witnesses starting with 911 dispatcher Jena Scurry. Ms Scurry said she called a police supervisor to report "something was wrong" after seeing live video of the arrest.
The second witness, Alisha Oyler, who works at a Speedway gas station across from the arrest site outside Cup Foods, told the court she saw police "messing with someone" when she began taking cell phone footage.
The third and final witness of day one was bystander Donald Wynn Williams, a professional mixed-martial arts fighter who provided commentary on Mr Chauvin's use of a "shimmy" manoeuvre while kneeling on the neck of Mr Floyd.
“His eyes slowly rolled to the back of his head. You see the blood coming out of his nose. You heard him tell them before he stopped speaking ‘my stomach hurts’,” Mr Williams said.
“From there on, he was lifeless, he didn’t move, he didn’t speak. He didn’t have no life in him no more on his body movements.”
Mr Chauvin has pleaded not guilty to three charges: second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and manslaughter. The murder charges could carry 40 and 25-year sentences, respectively.
The White House said that Joe Biden is closely watching the trial and receiving updates on proceedings, but wouldn't be commenting directly while it goes through the legal process.
