Thread by @AnaViLastra

Court will start in 10 minutes. The state and defense will give their opening statements this morning. @KirstenKSTP @EricChalouxKSTP @CallanGrayNews will also have updates.

How to watch live coverage of the #DerekChauvinTrial kstp.com/news/kstp-live…

Court is on the record now. They're starting with motions and will bring in the jurors at 9:30 a.m.

Watch Live:

Judge Cahill says they do have all 15 jurors, so one will be dismissed. #DerekChauvinTrial

Cahill: Any inferences you draw are argumentative and so that shouldn't be done, but a description of the policies that were in place that bound any officers out on the street responding to an arrest all that is appropriate...in opening and as far as testimony.

They're taking a ten minute break to get the jury set. Cahill says they'll typically start at 9:30 a.m. #DerekChauvinTrial

Jurors for the #DerekChauvinTrial have been sworn in this AM.

Jerry Blackwell is the first to give his opening statement for the state. #DerekChauvinTrial

Blackwell: But you're also going to learn that the officers take an oath when they become police officers. Take an oath that I will enforce the law courteously and appropriately. And as you will learn as applies to this case...Never employing a necessary force or violence.

Blackwell: You will learn what happened in that nine minutes and 29 seconds, the most important numbers you will hear in this trial are nine two nine. #ChauvinTrial

Blackwell is now giving timestamps of when/what George Floyd said during that 9 minute 29 second video. #ChauvinTrial

Chauvin appears to be taking notes during Jerry Blackwell's opening statements.

Blackwell: You will see that he does not let up, and then he does not get up. #ChauvinTrial

Blackwell is describing what people will see in that bystander video, punctuating key moments with that statement.

Blackwell is laying out what the state's experts and witnesses will testify to during the trial.

This includes MPD officers & LAPD Sgt. Jody Stiger (use of force expert.) #ChauvinTrial

Blackwell says MPD Chief Arradondo will testify.

Says Arradondo will testify that Chauvin's actions were not consistent with MPD training.

Blackwell says this case is NOT about all MPD police officers or all officers. He says it's about Derek Chauvin.

TW: The state will play videos showing what happened on May 25, 2020 including the bystander video. This will likely be unedited. You should stop watching feeds if this will be traumatic or re-traumatize.

#ChauvinTrial

TW: The state will play videos showing what happened on May 25, 2020 including the bystander video. This will likely be unedited. You should stop watching feeds if this will be traumatic or re-traumatize.

#ChauvinTrial

Bystander video is still going.

*Sorry for the above double tweet.

Video is over.

Blackwell is now back. #ChauvinTrial

Blackwell: He's heaving up the right shoulder so he can get room for his ribcage to expand to breathe. Because at this point you will learn he's pancaked. #ChauvinTrial

*deleted previous to correct

Blackwell says a 911 dispatcher will testify.

Blackwell: She called the police on the police...she called him to report what she saw, because she found it just that disturbing. She will tell you that she felt that she saw a man literally lose his life.

Blackwell: You will be able to see, ladies and gentlemen, the road rash on the shoulders from being pressed into the payment from the weight on top that stripped off layers of the skin.

Blackwell says jurors will learn that Floyd's death was not related to a heart attack.

Blackwell says this about the M.E. comments on Floyd's heart: "After he had died, saw no injuries, no evidence of a hear injury &it was so unremarkable he didn't even photograph the heart"

Blackwell is now talking about Floyd's active substance addiction and that his behavior was not "consistent" with someone dying of an overdose. #ChauvinTrial

Blackwell just wrapped opening statements for the state.

Eric Nelson is now giving his statement. #ChauvinTrial

Nelson: But for purposes of my remarks this morning, I want to talk about reason and common sense, and how that applies to the evidence that you're about to see during the course of this trial. #ChauvinTrial

Nelson says this case is about the evidence.

"I agree with counsel for the state. It is nothing more than [evidence.] There is no political or social cause in this courtroom." #ChauvinTrial

Nelson is breaking down the amount of evidence and witness testimony that will be presented in court.

"So this case, is clearly more than about nine minutes and 29 seconds." #ChauvinTrial

Nelson: The evidence will show that when confronted by police Mr Floyd put drugs in his mouth in an effort to conceal them from the police.

Nelson is explaining what was captured in body cam video and surveillance video before the bystander video.

Derek Chauvin writing on his notepad while his defense attorney, Eric Nelson, continues with his opening statement. #ChauvinTrial

Nelson says the MPD squad car was rocking back & forth during Floyd's arrest. "So much so that it catches the attention of the 911 dispatcher Jenna Scurry. This was not an easy struggle."

This is the dispatcher Blackwell also referenced. #ChauvinTrial

Nelson: As the situation went on, the crowd began to grow angry. But here's what you will also see...you will see and hear the conversation between the officers behind the squad car. The crowd is not aware of what they are saying and doing. #ChauvinTrial

Nelson says bystanders around the officers caused them "to divert their attention from the care of Mr. Floyd to the threat that was growing...questions emerge about the reasonableness of the use of force."

Nelson: The use of force is not attractive. But it is a necessary component of policing. #ChauvinTrial

Nelson is now talking about George Floyd's cause of death and breaking down what was found in the autopsy.

-CO
-Fentanyl
-Coronary disease
-edema of the lungs

Says cause of death will be the biggest battle in this case.

Court is now in recess until 11:15 a.m.

The state is starting with Jenna Scurry who is a Minneapolis 911 dispatcher. #ChauvinTrial

Scurry is answering questions about how dispatch works, the precincts and how they dispatch police to sectors within precincts. #ChauvinTrial

Matthew Frank, for the state, is now asking Scurry about her work day on May 25, 2020. #ChauvinTrial

Scurry says there is typically at least one sergeant on duty in each precinct. #ChauvinTrial

Frank asks if Judge Cahill can show Exhibit #151 on Scurry's screen.

She's looking at the exhibit off of Cahill's screen and says it's a printout of the 911 call.

Couldn't really hear, but it looks like Frank is showing Nelson what Exhibit #151 looks like. #ChauvinTrial

They are now presenting Exhibit #151 on screen for everyone to see. Frank asks Scurry to explain what this shows. #ChauvinTrial

Exhibit #10 is the dispatch call. Only a portion played out, so they're trying to get the entire call to work. #ChauvinTrial

Judge Cahill asks for a sidebar #ChauvinTrial

They're going to play Exhibit #10 again.

Scurry says she heard something loud in the background so she called Minneapolis Park Police to head to the scene for backup. They're going through Exhibit #151 again. #ChauvinTrial

Frank asks Scurry if she saw video of the May 25, 2020 incident.

She's now describing what she saw at 38th & Chicago. #ChauvinTrial

Scurry says she couldn't watch the entire video live because she was still dispatching other calls. #ChauvinTrial

Nelson asks for a sidebar after Frank offers an exhibit.

Frank will start playing Exhibit #11. This is the video that Scurry would have had access to on May 25, 2020. #ChauvinTrial

Here's a screengrab of that video. There's no audio.

Scurry says she was in and out of watching the camera. She says shortly after this she started watching again. #ChauvinTrial

Scurry says that she "first asked if the screens had frozen" because the scene hadn't changed beyond more people arriving. She says her instincts told her something was "not right," but couldn't say what that was #ChauvinTrial

Scurry: It was a gut instinct of in the incidents something's not going right, whether it be
they needed more assistance, or if there were, they're...just something wasn't right, I don't know how to explain it. It was a gut instinct to tell me that now we can be concerned."

Scurry says she called the sergeant on duty at this point.

"I can call them regarding calls if something doesn't look right, in a call if there's a caution note, if there's something that they can do beyond the scope of the call, I can call them."

They are now playing the call Scurry made to the sergeant on duty. #ChauvinTrial

Scurry's voice on the call: "I don't know if they have used force or not they got something out of the back of the squad and all of them sat on this man."

Scurry used the word "snitch" while on the phone with the sergeant.

She said it would've been out of her scope to call about use of force. She says she was voicing her concerns. #ChauvinTrial

Frank: Probably a better time for me to ask this question but have you ever prior to that date me a call like that to a sergeant?

Scurry: No.

#ChauvinTrial

They are now on a lunch break until 1:30 p.m. #ChauvinTrial

Nelson is now questioning Jena Scurry, the 911 dispatcher.

#ChauvinTrial

Nelson asks Scurry if she could hear anything from the video or what kind of discussions were happening between the officers. She says no.

Also acknowledges that she is not an MPD officer with use of force training.

Nelson wraps his questioning of Scurry.

Frank is back up now.

Scurry says the cameras that they see in dispatch can be controlled by police officers. She has said it's rare to see an she's dispatched officers to on the camera feed.

New witness is up now.

#ChauvinTrial

Steve Schleicher is questioning this next witness, Alisha Oyler. #ChauvinTrial

Oyler used to work at the Speedway at 38th & Chicago. #ChauvinTrial

Schleicher asks Oyler to draw a circle around the Speedway where she used to work. #ChauvinTrial

Oyler says she doesn't know George Floyd and didn't know who he was at the time of the incident. Says she saw the police "messing with someone." #ChauvinTrial

They are now playing cell phone video that Oyler recorded on May 25, 2020.

Watch Live:

The state is playing video from the dispatch feed and the cellphone video recorded by Oyler. Schleicher is taking her through both videos and asking questions about what she remembers. #ChauvinTrial

Oyler identifies herself in front of the Speedway where she was recording. #ChauvinTrial

Oyler says she saw crime scene tape around the area and was diverted around to get home. She recorded this scene that night:

They're taking a break now. Will be back at 3:25 p.m.

Pool reporter says Philonise Floyd, George Floyd's brother, was in the family seat inside the courtroom today.

Eric Nelson is now cross-examining Alisha Oyler. Asking again where she was during the incident. #ChauvinTrial

Matthew Frank has now called Donald Williams to the stand.

He's one of the bystanders who can be heard on the cellphone video. #ChauvinTrial

Williams says he's an entrepreneur and a professional fighter.

He was a wrestler in high school before turning to mixed martial arts. He worked security alongside Minneapolis Police over the years. #ChauvinTrial

Frank is asking about Williams local training at an MMA academy where he has trained with police officers, including MPD. #ChauvinTrial

Donald Williams identifies himself in this surveillance clip alongside Cup Foods. #ChauvinTrial

Williams says he never made it inside Cup Foods because the "energy" was off. Said he debated on whether to involve himself in what was happening in front of the store. #ChauvinTrial

Williams marks the area where he stood for sometime observing Floyd's arrest. Said he heard people talking and Floyd "pleading for his life." #ChauvinTrial

Frank asks Williams if he could have gotten closer.

Williams: I could have. I felt that way in, in a way, there's a fear factor as well.

Frank: Did you notice anything about his breathing, that was significant to this?

Williams: It's like in MMA you can tell when someone gets tired or you can tell when someone's getting choked out or things like that, his breathing was getting tremendously heavy... #ChauvinTrial

Matthew Frank asks if Williams remembers anything about what Officer Thao said that day.

Williams: This is what drugs do to you. I replied this is not what drugs do. #ChauvinTrial

Williams said hearing that "pissed" him off more.

Frank asks if Williams used his training/experience in martial arts to identify what he saw that day.

Nelson objects to the last statement Williams made about what he described as a potential cause of death. #ChauvinTrial

Chauvin stood up and removed his mask for Williams to identify as the same person in a photo. #ChauvinTrial

Frank says he wants to play a portion of Exhibit #15, a video, that they'll go more into at another date. Judge Cahill allows it. #ChauvinTrial

TW: This is another graphic video of Floyd on the ground.

Williams is describing what he sees is a "shimmy" that Chauvin is using to close a gap.

Williams demonstrates with his arms how a shimmy can be used to close the gap in a choke, based on his MMA experience.

Not sure what just happened, but looks like we lost our feed from the courtroom. #ChauvinTrial

Ok, it's back now.

Judge Cahill is talking to Williams about his testimony. There were a lot of discussions between the attorneys about what Williams can testify to about the incident. Cahill wants him to explain his observations, not his opinions on what he saw.

Judge Cahill is asking Matthew Frank to be more focused in his questions so that Williams can respond on his observations. They're now having a sidebar. #ChauvinTrial

They're now discussing the feed cutting out. Ours is back up, not sure if others lost it as well.
#ChauvinTrial

Sounds like the feeds being directed to family members went down.

Judge Cahill says they'll resume with Williams tomorrow morning. Reminds jurors to NOT watch the news. #ChauvinTrial