Second week of testimony starts today in Derek Chauvin murder trial

A second week of testimony begins Monday in the Derek Chauvin murder trial, with the prosecution so far building its case on video-backed testimony from witnesses to George Floyd's death late last spring and from a veteran police lieutenant who said the now-fired Minneapolis officer violated department policy.

The prosecution is expected to soon call to the stand Police Chief Medaria Arradondo, who fired Chauvin on May 26, one day after Floyd was arrested at 38th and Chicago on May 25 and died that night.

Arradondo was a visible and vocal presence in the tumult that engulfed the city and nation in the immediate aftermath of Floyd, a Black man, dying under the knee of a white Minneapolis police officer on Memorial Day.

The city's first Black police chief condemned and fired Chauvin and the other three officers involved. He visited 38th and Chicago. He spoke directly to Floyd's family members on national television. In an interview, Arradondo called Floyd's death "absolutely pivotal" in the city's history.

Just shy of a month after Floyd died, Arradondo issued a statement that was unequivocal in his belief of who was most responsible.

"Mr. George Floyd's tragic death was not due to a lack of training — the training was there," he said. "This was murder — it wasn't a lack of training. This is why I took swift action regarding the involved officers' employment with MPD."

Chauvin is charged with second- and third-degree murder and manslaughter. The fired officers who helped arrest and restrain Floyd, J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao, are scheduled to go on trial in August on charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter.

A blunt assessment of Chauvin's actions also came Friday from the longest-serving officer, who testified before a worldwide livestream audience that the level of force used was "totally unnecessary" and dangerous.

Lt. Richard Zimmerman, the head of the department's homicide unit, was unwavering when asked whether Chauvin's actions toward Floyd were proper.

"First of all," Zimmerman said, "pulling him down to the ground facedown and putting your knee on a neck for that amount of time is just uncalled for."

Zimmerman, who has been with the MPD since 1985 and in the homicide unit he now leads since 1995, said department policy requires that prone suspects who are handcuffed — as Floyd was by Chauvin — must be taken off their chest as soon as possible. The position stretches the chest muscles and makes it difficult for someone to breathe, Zimmerman said.

Prosecutor Matthew Frank asked Zimmerman whether he was ever trained to put a knee on the neck of someone in handcuffs." No, I haven't," he said.

Zimmerman said such a tactic would fall under the most extreme level of force by an officer, that being "deadly force."

"If your knee is on someone's neck, that could kill them," he said.

Under cross examination, defense attorney Eric Nelson noted that as an investigator, Zimmerman rarely has to use force compared with a patrol officer. Zimmerman also acknowledged to Nelson that situations can be fluid, and officers must quickly adapt to what he called "scene security."

"You look at other things that may be hazards or threats, in the immediate vicinity, correct?"

"Yes."

"So you're gonna assess: Are there people watching, are there people videotaping, are those people happy or angry, etc., right?"

"Yes."

Star Tribune staff writers Rochelle Olson and Chao Xiong contributed to this report.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482