Updates: Prosecutors call first witness, the 911 dispatcher

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Emily Cutts, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
·4 min read
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Mar. 29—Watch a livestream of the trial and find live updates below that.

11:20 a.m. update

Prosecutors called their first witness: City of Minneapolis 911 dispatcher Jena Scurry.

Scurry started work that May 2020 day at 2:30 p.m. and dispatched officers to Cup Foods at 38th and Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis. Officers were initially called to the area for a report that George Floyd tried to use a counterfeit $20.

Scurry, who's being questioned by Matthew Frank of the AG's office, will testify about how on May 25, she became so concerned while watching Floyd's arrest in real-time that she contacted a police supervisor. https://t.co/4g4jhPvaIT

— Libor Jany (@StribJany) March 29, 2021

11 a.m. update

The court went into its morning recess and court is expected to resume at 11:15 a.m.

10:40 a.m. update

Defense attorney Eric Nelson took the podium to address the jurors for his opening remarks.

Nelson told the jury that the evidence in the case was far greater than 9 minutes and 29 seconds

"In this case you will learn that the evidence has been collected broadly and expansively," Nelson said, noting that nearly 50 case agents from Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and more than two dozen FBI agents assisted in the investigation.

Almost 50,000 pieces of evidence were submitted in the case and had a list of 400 witnesses.

"This case is clearly more than 9 minutes and 29 seconds," Nelson said.

Nelson also spoke of the medical examiner's findings and that Floyd's body had "none of the tell-tale signs of asphyxiations."

Concluding his remarks, Nelson said to the jury "When you review the actual evidence and when you hear the law and apply reason and common sense there will only be one just verdict and that is to find Mr. Chauvin not guilty."

10 a.m. update

"You're going to learn in this case a lot about what it means to be a public servant and have the honor of wearing this badge," Special Assistant Attorney General Jerry Blackwell said in his opening statements. "You will learn that on May 25, 2020, Mr. Derek Chauvin betrayed this badge when he used excess and unreasonable force upon the body of Mr. George Floyd."

As part of the opening statements, jurors also saw their first video clip of the incident taken by a bystander.

"I can't breath," Floyd says in the video.

"They are going to kill me," he says.

Blackwell told the jurors that 9 minutes and 29 seconds will be the most important numbers in the case. For half that time, Blackwell said, Floyd was unconscious, breathless and pulseless.

Speaking of the evidence jurors will see throughout the case, Blackwell said jurors can believe their eyes.

"It's a homicide. It's murder. You'll be able to see every part of what Mr. Floyd went through," Blackwell said. "Mr. Floyd did not die an instant death."

Closing his opening remarks, Blackwell told the jury "there was no excuse for the police abuse of Mr. Chauvin."

8 a.m. update

The trial of Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd begins today, March 29, at 9 a.m. in Minneapolis.

Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for the May 25, 2020, arrest death of Floyd. Floyd's arrest and death occurred after he was suspected of using a counterfeit $20 bill to buy cigarettes, and set off weeks of protests and riots across the country and led to a national reckoning on racial justice.

Forum News Service will provide updates on key developments through the trial. Stay with us today for updates.

Catch up here with weekend stories you might have missed:

—

A who's who guide to main players in Derek Chauvin trial

— Jury faces high-stakes decisions as Derek Chauvin trial begins Monday in death of George Floyd

— Judge Peter Cahill 'uniquely suited' to preside over high-profile Derek Chauvin murder trial

— Where is the line drawn on impartiality? Derek Chauvin's trial offers a glimpse into juror elimination

— Twin Cities 911 centers developing backup plans as Derek Chauvin trial looms

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