A 14th juror was seated Monday for the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd's death, nearly completing the panel ahead of opening statements next week.
The newest juror is a social worker in her 20s who said she has talked with friends about police reform and that she thinks "there are things that should be changed." But she also described police and their jobs as important, and said she is "always looking at every side of things."
Three other potential jurors were dismissed earlier in the day.
In this image taken from video, defense attorney Eric Nelson, left, defendant former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, right, and Nelson's assistant Amy Voss, back, introduce themselves to jurors as Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill presides over jury selection in the trial of Chauvin on Monday at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis. (AP/Court TV)
JUDGE WON’T DELAY DEREK CHAUVIN TRIAL, RULES CERTAIN EVIDENCE FROM FLOYD’S 2019 ARREST IS ALLOWED
Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill said Friday that he wanted to select 15 jurors, with 12 to deliberate and three alternates who will deliberate only if needed. But the court also said up to 16 could be chosen.
Floyd, who was Black, was declared dead May 25 after Derek Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee on his neck for about nine minutes while he was handcuffed and pleading that he couldn’t breathe. Floyd’s death, captured on a widely seen bystander video, set off weeks of sometimes violent protests across the country and led to a national reckoning on racial justice.
On Friday, Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill declined a defense request to delay or move Chauvin's trial over concerns that a $27 million settlement for Floyd’s family had tainted the jury pool.
Cahill, who called the timing "unfortunate," said he believed a delay would do nothing to stem the problem of pretrial publicity, and that there’s no place in Minnesota untouched by that publicity.
Dershowitz: George Floyd officer Derek Chauvin unlikely to get fair trial
Harvard Law professor tells 'The Ingraham Angle' the jury pool is likely frightened to acquit in Minneapolis
ALAN DERSHOWITZ: NOT MOVING TRIAL OUT OF MINNEAPOLIS IS A ‘SERIOUS CONSTITUTIONAL MISTAKE’
In another significant ruling Friday, the judge handed the defense a victory by ruling that the jury can hear evidence from Floyd’s 2019 arrest, but only information possibly pertaining to the cause of his death. He acknowledged several similarities between the two encounters, including that Floyd swallowed drugs after police confronted him.
The judge previously said the earlier arrest could not be admitted, but he reconsidered after drugs were found in January in a second search of the police SUV that the four officers attempted to put Floyd in last year. The defense argues that Floyd’s drug use contributed to his death.
Cahill said he would allow medical evidence of Floyd's physical reactions, such as his dangerously high blood pressure when he was examined by a paramedic in 2019, and a short clip of an officer’s body camera video. He said Floyd’s "emotional behavior," such as calling out to his mother, won’t be admitted.
In this image taken from video, defense attorney Eric Nelson, left, and defendant former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, right, confer before Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill presides over jury selection on Monday. (AP/Court TV)
The county medical examiner classified Floyd’s death as a homicide in an initial summary that said he "had a cardiopulmonary arrest while being restrained by police." Floyd was declared dead at a hospital 2.5 miles from where he was restrained.
The full report said he died of "cardiopulmonary arrest, complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression." A summary report listed fentanyl intoxication and recent methamphetamine use under "other significant conditions" but not under "cause of death."
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The 14 jurors seated through Monday are split by race: Eight are white, four are Black and two are multiracial, according to the court.
It's unclear which jurors will be the alternates. Legal experts said it's almost always the last people chosen, but the court said that wouldn’t necessarily be the case for Chauvin’s jury.
True Crime
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.
