Nine potential jurors were questioned on Tuesday in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged with second degree murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd. Three were selected for duty.
Last Memorial Day, a bystander recorded Chauvin with his knee on the neck of Floyd, a 46-year-old unarmed Black man, for more than nine minutes. Floyd's death sparked massive protests against police brutality, first in Minneapolis, then around the world.
Potential jurors were sent a 13-page questionnaire prior to showing up to court, and ordered to avoid watching or reading anything about the case. The jury pool was asked how much they know about the case, if they can set aside their existing opinions to be impartial, whether they marched in anti-police brutality protests or suffered property damage during them, if they believe the criminal justice system works, and if they have ever been restrained or put in a chokehold by law enforcement or during a self-defense class.
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Based on their answers, 16 potential jurors were removed from the pool on Monday. The three jurors selected on Tuesday, USA Today reports, are a male chemist who said he believes "all lives matter equally" and hasn't watched the video of Floyd's death; a woman who said she was "super excited" to be called for jury duty and has an uncle who is a police officer; and a man who is friends with a Minneapolis cop but has a negative perception of the Blue Lives Matter movement.
One of the potential jurors who was not picked is a mother of three who works in a maternity ward and said Chauvin's actions were "not fair because we are humans." Jury selection will continue on Wednesday, with opening statements set to begin on March 29.
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