Jury selection for the murder trial of former Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin has been completed.
Of the 15 jurors that were chosen, nine are white, four are Black and two are multiracial, reports The Washington Post. Three of them are alternate jurors. Hennepin County District Judge Peter A. Cahill said he will dismiss the final juror on Monday (March 29) to move forward with 12 jurors and two alternates.
“The whole point of this 15th juror was to make sure that we have 14 people show up on Monday,” Cahill said. “Nevertheless, I’m still not going to release the jury pool until the jury is sworn, on the off chance that we still have to pick some alternates.”
Attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci released a statement following the news of the jury selection. ”We are pleased that the jury has been seated and the Chauvin trial can proceed,” the statement read. “After hearing the facts, we hope and expect the jury to deliver a just verdict. This is not a hard case. George Floyd had more witnesses to his death than any other person ever — white or Black. We all saw the same thing — the indisputable and unjustified torture and murder by a police officer of a Black man who was handcuffed, restrained and posed no harm. If George Floyd had been white, the facts would be undisputed and justice would be swift. We expect the same for George.”
Chauvin is currently charged with second- and third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for his involvement in the death of George Floyd. Last May, the former cop planted his knee on Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes as he yelled out, “I can’t breathe.”
Three other former Minneapolis officers charged in the case — J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas K. Lane and Tou Thao — will be tried together in August. They are charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.
Opening statements for Chauvin’s trial are scheduled to begin on Monday (March 29).