Thread by @LouRaguse

The state is expected to rest this morning and Derek Chauvin's attorney will begin calling witnesses.
kare11.com/article/news/l…

Here is the morning Youtube link:

"Your honor, the State of Minnesota rests," prosecutor Steve Schleicher said.

Eric Nelson's first witness is MPD Police Officer Scott Creighton. He was the officer who arrested George Floyd in 2019.

Officer Creighton is now retired after 28 years, he just testified.

Creighton testifies that he approached George Floyd in the passenger seat and asked to see his hands, Floyd continually turned toward the driver and would not show hands -- so Creighton pulled his gun.

Here is the current YouTube link.

They played a portion of the body camera video from the 2019 incident.

Now the prosecution is cross-examining -- focusing on how Creighton gave several orders, while another officer threatened to use a taser.

When Nelson finished asking questions -- he noted "because of the judge's order" -- no further question.

Now Michelle Monseng is testifying -- the paramedic who checked George Floyd's blood pressure in 2019.

Monseng is now also retired.

Monseng was a paramedic for 34 years.

She testified that Floyd told her he was talking drugs every 20 minutes.

She took his vitals, and blood pressure was 216/160.

And Monseng wanted him to go to the hospital.

Lots of stops and starts... but now back in court.

But now Shawanda Hill is on the witnesses stand, presumably outside the presence of the jury. Cahill talking to her about potential testimony.

Hill says she is willing to answer questions about whether he was under the influence.

Judge says they can only ask her how George Floyd looked and acted -- but not her opinion of whether he was "under the influence"

Hill is ready and willing to testify. She will not invoke her 5th amendment right (doesn't seem to believe it would incriminate her)

Now the jury is coming back in.

Eric Nelson is questioning Shawanda Hill.

She says she ran into George Floyd in Cup Foods.

"how would you describe GF's behavior and demeanor?"

"Happy. Normal. Talking. Alert."

Hill agrees that in the car, George Floyd suddenly fell asleep.

And was asleep when the store workers came to the car (to address the counterfeit bill)

Hill told the store workers she would wake up Floyd and send him back inside.

Nelson ends his questioning after establishing that she was trying to wake up Floyd.

Hill is rolling her eyes repeatedly.

In cross examination -- prosecution establishing with HIll that Floyd was not complaining of shortness of breath or showing other things he said once the officers were on him.

Hill is already finished as a witness. Now Mpls Park Police Officer Peter Chang is testifying.

Chang responded to help Lane and Kueng -- went to his car to run Floyd's name and identify him.

This morning the sides all discussed which parts of Chang's body camera can be played. Some needs to be redacted because you can see Floyd's prior crim history on the screen

Officer Chang testifies that he was concerned by the crowd getting "louder and aggressive."

"I was concerned for the officers' safety at that point."

"They were very aggressive at the officers," Chang says about the crowd on the sidewalk.

They are now playing a long segment of Chang's body camera video... mostly pointed at Hill and Hall during the other officers' encounter with Floyd.

Hall gives Chang a fake name "William Ricardo."

There is apparently a real person named William Ricardo Smythe, whom the prosecution put on the initial witness list, but never called to the stand.

Now MPD Officer Nicole MacKenzie is testifying about "excited delirium." She was a state witnesses, but for this topic, the judge made Nelson call her as his own witness to go over the training she provides to officers on excited delirium.

Here is the Youtube link for the afternoon session.

Chauvin's use-of-force expert Barry Brodd is now testifying. He's reviewed 140 cases for use of force and testified 10 times since 2016. He was hired once by the Minneapolis City Attorney's office, he testified.

Brodd said he first reached out to the Minneapolis City Attorney's Office after George Floyd's death -- but they didn't retain him -- and then Nelson retained him.

"I felt that Derek Chauvin was justified, was acting with objective reasonableness, following Minneapolis Police Department policy and current standards of law enforcement in his interactions with Mr. Floyd," Chauvin's use-of-force expert Barry Brodd testifies.

In cross-examination, Prosecutor Steve Schleicher got Brodd to admit his opinion of whether the prone restraint is a "use of force" would change if George Floyd was in pain.

This is possibly the best questioning by the prosecution so far this trial -- Steve Schleicher asking questions that Brodd has to answer in such a way that helps them. Every word is deliberate.

After Brodd said that Chauvin seemed to let up on the pressure... Schleicher showed this photo and played the clip -- "You see his foot off the ground? Wouldn't that put more pressure?"
Brodd said that the foot lifted at that point because of Floyd's movements.

Turns out Nelson did want to make a motion for judgment of acquittal after the prosecution rested -- and now it sounds like Judge Cahill will listen to it tomorrow morning? Court will start at 8:45a and the jury coming back at 9:15a.