The trial of officer accused of killing African-American George Floyd begins

In the opening statement, prosecutor Jerry Blackwell told the jury that the number they should remember was 9 minutes, 29 seconds, the time Cauvin had stuck Floyd with his knee on the sidewalk last May in the incident that caused nationwide violence on racial injustice.

The white officer “did not remove the knee”, even after Floyd under handcuffs said 27 times he could not breathe and lost his life, prosecutor Blackwell said.

He put his knees on his neck and back, clutching and pressing it to the last breath, ladies and gentlemen he took the life of”, the prosecutor said.

Former police lawyer Chauvin, Eric Nelson rejected him, arguing that “Derek Chauvin did exactly what he was trained to do during his 19-year career”.

Floyd was resisting arrest and Cauvin arrived to help other policemen who were trying to get Floyd into the police car, while the crowd around them became bigger and more hostile, said lawyer Nelson.

The defence lawyer also rejected the statement that Chauvin was guilty of Floyd's death.

George Floyd had none of the indicators of asphyxiation and had drugs such as phantanyl and methamphetamines in his blood system, said the lawyer Nelson. He said that drug use, combined with his heart disease and high blood pressure, as well as increased adrenaline in his body, had caused George Floyd's death from a heart rate disorder.

“in this courtroom is not considering any political or social issues,” said lawyer Nelson. “But the evidence is much bigger than 9 minutes and 29 seconds”

The forensic team's autopsy pointed to the presence of fentanitine and metamphetamine in George Floyd's system, but listed as the cause of death “the cardiopulmonary arrest, complicated by neck pressure”.

Chauvin, 45, is accused of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder and unintentional murder.

The first video widely sparked anger throughout the United States and led to widespread protests and riots, along with demands that the country face racism and police brutality.

Confederacy statues and other symbols were removed in many American cities, and activists demanded that police department budgets be suspended or revised.

The range of events differs from the initial complaint filed last month by prosecutors who said Cauvin held his knee over Floyd's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. In the following weeks, demonstrators staged protests with scenes symbolising Mr. Floyd's death. The sequence of events was revised during the course of investigations.

The 14-member jury is hearing the case. According to the court, eight are white and six are colored or mixed. Two of the 14 selected will be reserve. The judge has not determined which of them will be reserved and which of the judges will make the decision.

Legal experts expect prosecutors to present the full video before the jury at the start of the process.

The procurators have a method of working to open the process with strong arguments. Nothing reinforces the argument in this case more than movie images”, says Jeffrey Cremer, former federal professor and manager at the Berkeley Research Group in Chicago.

Prosecutor Blackwell said that among the witnesses there will be the rapid reaction worker with the Minneapolis Fire Department, which provided first aid. The prosecutor of the case said police officer Chauvin directed to her the device that sprays the hot pepper.

She wanted to check his pulse, check if he was okay. She did everything she could to intervene. When she approached Mr. Chauvin... He extended the spraying device with hot pepper to her. She couldn't help”, said prosecutor Blacwell.

Outside the court, dozens of people cheered and held banners while the Floyd family's lawyer, Ben Crump, civil rights activist Al Sharpton and members of the Floyd family were coming in. The group also carried a coffin covered with flowers.

Lawyer Crump said the trial would be a test “if America would respect the Declaration of Independence”. He strongly rejected the idea that the trial would be a difficult test for members of the jury.

For all those who keep saying this is a difficult trial, we reject this argument. We know that if George Floyd were an American white citizen, and suffered this torture and painful death with the knee of a police on his neck, no one, no one would say that this is a difficult case”, the defence attorney said.

The trial process is expected to last about four weeks at the tribunal in the centre of Minneapolis, which is fortified with concrete barriers and surrounded by thorn wire. City and state leaders are committed to preventing the repetition of riots that occurred after George Floyd's death. The National Guard troops have also been mobilised.

The fundamental questions will be if Officer Chauvin then caused Mr. Floyd's death and his actions were reasonable.

In connection with the second-initiate murder charge, prosecutors have to prove that the police behavior of Cauvin was “Which was a major cause factor” in Floyd's death and that Cauvin was then committing a crime.

While on the charge of third degree murder, prosecutors must prove that the actions of Officer Chauvin caused Mr. Floyd's death and that they were hasty and did not take human life into account.

The murder charge requires evidence that Chauvin caused Mr. Floyd's death through neglect by creating an unreasonable danger.

The unintentional second - rate murder is sentenced to up to 40 years in prison, while the third rate is punishable by up to 25 years in prison. But sentencing guidelines suggest Chauvin could face 12 and a half years in prison if found guilty on one of the charges. The unintentional murder is sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.