'My instincts were telling me that something is wrong,' police dispatcher testifies at Chauvin murder trial

For nine minutes and 29 seconds, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, crushed his knee into the neck and back of George Floyd, an application of unreasonable force that led to the death of the 46-year-old Black man in May last year.

Or, the 19-year veteran police officerdid exactly as he had been trained to do, and Floyd's death was the result of a combination of underlying medical conditions and toxic drugs in his system.

These were the competing narratives laid out by the prosecution and defence, respectively,in their opening statements at the Chauvin's murder trialinHennepin County District Court in Minneapolis Monday.

Floyd's death on May 25, 2020,sparked a series ofprotests around the world against police brutality and racial injustice.

Chauvin, 45, faces two murder charges:second-degree unintentional murder and third-degree murder.Chauvin is also charged with the lesser offence of second-degree manslaughter.

WATCH | Prosecutionlays out case against Derek Chauvin:

Prosecution presents arguments against Derek Chauvin

4 years ago

Duration 0:59

Prosecutor Jerry Blackwell outlined the state of Minnesota's case against the former Minneapolis police officer charged in the death of George Floyd.

Prosecution focuses on use of force

Prosecutor Jerry Blackwell wasted little time showing jurors the graphic bystander video footage of Chauvin,with his knee pressed into Floyd's neck and back while Floydshoutedthat he was in pain and could not breathe, until he eventually wentmotionless.

"He put his knees upon his neck and his back, grinding and crushing him, until the very breath no, ladies and gentlemen until the very life, was squeezed out of him," Blackwellsaid.

Blackwell went through the nine minutes and29 seconds that he said Chauvin hadFloyd pinned to the ground, pointing out the former officer'sactions.

Chauvin "didn't let up," he told the court. "He didn't get up," even after Floyd, who was handcuffed on the ground, said 27 times that he couldn't breathe, Blackwell said.

Indeed, for half of thattime, while Floyd was either breathless or unconscious, Chauvin continued to apply pressure to Floyd, the prosecutor said.

Nor did ChauvinreleaseFloyd, Blackwell said, when a paramedicarrived on the scene and checked Floyd'spulse.

It was only whenparamedicswanted to "move the lifeless body of George Floyd onto the gurney" thatChauvin releasedhis hold on Floyd, Blackwell said. Floyd was pronounced dead in hospital later that night.

'Check his pulse'

Blackwell said witnesses will also include bystanders who "called the policeon police." The prosecutor drew the jury's attention to part of the video showingangry bystanders yelling at the officers.

One of those people was Donald Williams. He was one of three witnesses to testify Monday at the trial.Williams can be heardon the video yelling,"Check his pulse, check his pulse" to another officer at the scene.

Williams told the courthe was trained in mixed martial arts, including choke holds and testified that Chauvin appeared to increase the pressure on Floyd's neck several times with a shimmying motion.

Williams recalled that Floyd's voice grew thicker as his breathing became more laboured, and he eventually stopped moving. He said he saw Floyd's eyes roll back in his head, likening the sight to fish he had caught earlier that day.

Williams said he saw Floyd "slowly fade away ... like the fish in the bag."

Dispatcher called sergeant about arrest

The trial also heard from Minneapolis police dispatcher Jena Scurry, who testified that she saw part of Floyd's arrest unfolding via a city surveillance camera and was so disturbed that she called a duty sergeant.

Scurry said she grew concerned because the officers hadn't moved after several minutes.

"You can call me a snitch if you want to," Scurry said in her call to the sergeant, which was played in court.

She told the court Monday thatshewouldn't normally call the sergeant about the use of force because it was beyond the scope of her duties, but "my instincts were telling me that something is wrong."

In his opening statement, Blackwell said that among the other witnesses scheduled, court will hear from onebystander anda fire department employee trained in first aid who wanted to check Floyd's pulsebut was warned off by Chauvin, who reached for his mace and pointed it in her direction.

In the coming days of the trial, Blackwell said thejury will also hear from use of force experts, including one who will testify Chauvin's use of force was "capable of killing a human or putting his or her life in danger."

WATCH | Chauvin's lawyer gives overview of defence:

Attorney lays out defence of Derek Chauvin

4 years ago

Duration 1:00

Attorney Eric Nelson presented his defence of the former Minneapolis police officer charged in the death of George Floyd.

Defence cites Floyd's strength, health conditions

But Eric J. Nelson, Chauvin's lead defence counsel, told the jury that the "evidence is far greater than nineminutes and 29 seconds."

Floyd was resisting arrest, and Chauvin arrived to assist other officers who were struggling to get Floyd into a squad car, Nelson said.

Three officers couldn't overcome the strength of Floyd, he said.

"You will learn that Derek Chauvin did exactly what he had been trained to do over the course ofhis19-year career," Nelson said.

"The use of force is not attractive, but it is a necessary component ofpolicing."

Nelson said it was Floyd's underlying health conditions, including a "compromised heart," in combination with thefentanyl andmethamphetamine he had ingested and the adrenaline flowing through his body that caused his death.

Floyd's friends, family gather outside court

Before opening statements began, Floyd's friends and familygathered outside the courthouse entrance, kneeling for eight minutes and 46 seconds, the amount of time that it had initially been reported Chauvin had forcedhis knee into Floyd.

"If we can't get justicefor a Black manhere in America, we will get justice everywhere else in America," said Philonise Floyd, George Floyd's brother."This is the starting point. This is not a finishingpoint."

WATCH | Murder trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin gets underway:

Murder trial into killing of George Floyd gets underway in Minneapolis

4 years ago

Duration 3:01

Opening arguments and first witnesses were heard in Derek Chauvin's murder trial. The former Minneapolis police officer is accused of killing George Floyd 10 months ago, by pressing his knee to Floyd's neck.

Floyd family attorney Ben Crump said for all those people whocontinue to say that the murder trialis a difficultone, "we refute that."

"We know that if George Floyd was a white American citizen, and he suffered this painful, tortuous death with a police officer's knee on his neck, nobody, nobody, would be saying this is a hard case," Crump said.