- Two men and a woman have been selected to serve on the jury of
Derek Chauvin 's trial. - Attorneys for the state and defense dismissed more than 20 potential jurors on Tuesday.
- Chauvin is charged with murder and manslaughter in the May 2020 killing of
George Floyd .
After a full day questioning perspective jurors in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, only three people have been chosen to serve on the case.
The first juror, a chemist in his 30s, lives in Minneapolis and is engaged to be married.
The man, who is white, described himself as a "pretty logical person" and said he has generally favorable view of the Black Lives Matter movement as he believed all lives matter equally. He said he doesn't believe that the Blue Lives Matter counter viewpoint is necessary.
The man also said he had never seen the viral Facebook video depicting George Floyd's death, but has seen a still photo.
The second juror selected to serve is a woman from northern Minnesota who said she was "super excited" to receive her summons because she is fascinated by the
She described herself as a "go with the flow, open minded person." She saw the video of Floyd's death once, and said it gave her a somewhat negative opinion of Chauvin, but that she could be proven wrong when presented with complete evidence.
The woman said she has an uncle in law enforcement, but that it wouldn't have an impact on how she decides.
As for Black Lives Matter, she said she supports the idea behind the movement, but believes it has been turned into a marketing campaign used by companies to get people to buy products. She feels the same about the pro-cop counter-movement.
The third juror, a man who works as a financial auditor, described himself as "honest, straightforward, and easy to talk to."
He responded that he had a somewhat negative belief of Chauvin because he was involved in a death, but he would base his findings in the case only on the evidence of the trial.
He supports Black Lives Matter in general, but said he disagrees with the actions of some members of the organization. He said he has an unfavorable opinion of Blue Lives Matter.
It's going to be difficult to find jurors who don't already have an opinion of the case
Chauvin, who sat in the Minneapolis courtroom on Tuesday in a light grey suit, is charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter in the killing of Floyd.
Widely circulated video from the scene showed Chauvin, a white officer, pinning Floyd's neck with his knee for nearly nine minutes as the Black man begged for help. Floyd's death sparked international outrage and reignited the anti-police brutality movement.
Because of the high profile nature, it's unlikely that any jurors in the pool are unaware of the Chauvin case.
Instead, attorneys for Chauvin and the state are left to assess whether perspective jurors will be able to put their preconceived opinions aside and base their decisions solely on the evidence presented to them in the courtroom.
Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill is asking for a jury of 12, with two alternates.
Chauvin's attorney, Eric Nelson, and Assistant Attorney General Matthew Frank asked potential jurors about the extent of their exposure to the case, as well as to elaborate on questions they answered in the questionnaire that was sent to them beforehand.
Those questions touched on their thoughts about the Black Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter movements, how they solve conflict in their own lives, and whether safety concerns about how they will be treated after the trial would sway their findings.
Between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. CT, more than 20 people in the jury pool were dismissed.
Cahill expects opening statements for the trial on March 29, with the case lasting up to a month.