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Protesters demand justice for George Floyd
Photo: OCTAVIO JONES / REUTERS
Hardly any criminal case in the United States has been so in the public eye in recent years: The main hearing into the violent death of the African American George Floyd has begun in Minneapolis.
Floyd was killed in a brutal police operation, now the now suspended police officer Derek Chauvin is on trial.
The charges include second degree murder.
Up to 40 years in prison in the state of Minnesota.
Chauvin himself pleads "not guilty".
Prosecutor Jerry Blackwell said in his opening statement that Chauvin had used "excessive" and disproportionate force against the unarmed Floyd, thereby violating his duties as a police officer.
Floyd was handcuffed and pleaded 27 times to let him breathe, but Chauvin did not let go of him, Blackwell said.
Twelve jurors will determine the guilt or innocence of the accused in the trial.
Judge Peter Cahill believes the main trial could take up to a month.
Floyd was killed in a brutal arrest in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020.
Videos had documented, among other things, how police officers pushed Floyd to the ground.
Chauvin pressed his knee to Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes while Floyd pleaded for him to breathe.
According to the autopsy, Floyd passed out and died.
Attorney: Floyd dies of "excessive force overdose."
His words "I can't breathe" became a symbol of police violence and racism.
After Floyd's death, there were massive protests in the United States and other countries.
At the start of the trial, Floyd's family remembered him by kneeling in front of the Minneapolis courthouse for eight minutes and 46 seconds.
That's exactly as long as Chauvin Floyd had his knee back on his neck.
Chauvin's defense attorneys said the use against Floyd was justified because he resisted the arrest.
They also argue that Floyd's death was not due to violence, but mainly to his pre-existing health and drug residues in his blood.
Ben Crump, attorney for the Floyds family, condemned the operation.
"What killed George Floyd was an overdose of excessive violence," he told CNN.
He expects Chauvin's attorneys to try in court to discredit Floyd's reputation.
The fact that drug residues were found in his blood only distracts from the actual cause of death: Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd's neck for minutes, according to Crump.
In addition to Chauvin, three other ex-police officers involved in the operation against Floyd have been charged, but they will be on trial in a separate trial from 23 August.
They are charged with aid.
They too face long prison terms.
ssp / dpa / AFP