Jury selection begins in George Floyd murder trial

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Jury selection in the murder trial of Derek Chauvin began on Tuesday after a one day delay, despite efforts by the prosecution to put it on hold.

Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, died on May 25, 2020, after Chauvin, then a Minneapolis Police officer, placed his knee on Floyd's neck for nearly eight minutes while Floyd pleaded, "I can't breathe." 

His final moments were captured on video, and his death led to widespread protests against police brutality and racism under the banner Black Lives Matter as well as incidents of unrest and looting.

Chauvin has pleaded not guilty to second-degree unintentional murder and second-degree manslaughter charges. 

In addition, a charge of third-degree murder that was dismissed in October is now in limbo after an appeals court ruled the trial judge should reconsider a motion to reinstate it, which could lead to a delay in the start of the trial.

Jury selection in the trial began on Tuesday at the Hennepin County Government Center and is expected to last about three weeks. Opening statements are expected to start no earlier than March 29, followed by testimony over the next two to four weeks.

Nine potential jurors were interviewed over the course of about seven hours by Judge Peter Cahill, a prosecutor, and defense attorney. As of Tuesday afternoon, two men and one woman had been selected to serve as jurors during the trial.

Court was scheduled to resume with a motions hearing at 9 a.m. ET Wednesday. Jury selection continues at 10 a.m. ET.