Jury selection completed ahead of Derek Chauvin trial

Jury selection in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged with murder in the death of George Floyd, was completed Tuesday with a judge asking several alternates to stay on in case any jurors are dismissed.

The Washington Post reported that of the 12 jurors and three alternates, nine are white, four are Black and two are multiracial.

Jury selection in the case was heavily scrutinized due to many potential jurors admitting to having heard information about the case that could potentially bias them against Chauvin, including news of the city’s settlement with Floyd’s family.

Several of those seated for the trial have admitted to such knowledge, the Post noted, and just one said they had not seen parts of a video showing Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes during an arrest that went viral last year and sparked protests against police brutality across the country.

Those seated were required to promise that they would put aside what they knew personally about the case and judge only what was presented in court.

The trial of Chauvin, who is charged with second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd’s killing, will begin Monday.

He was fired from the city’s police department and arrested shortly after the killing last May, and reportedly made unsuccessful attempts at reaching a plea bargain with both state and federal officials last year.

Late last week, the judge in the case denied a request from Chauvin’s defense lawyers to relocate and delay the trial.

Chauvin’s attorney, Eric Nelson, had argued earlier in the week that that well-publicized settlement with Floyd’s family would affect the selection process, prejudicing jurors against his client.