Derek Chauvin is on trial for George Floyd’s death

The fifth day of testimony in the murder trial of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin just started.

We’re expecting to hear from more witnesses today, but it will be a shorter day than the first four. The jury will be dismissed around 1 p.m. ET (noon local).

Judge Peter Cahill noted Thursday that the trial is ahead of schedule and there were some legal matters that needed to be addressed. It’s not clear if those legal issues will be discussed in open court after the jury leaves, or behind the scenes.

Courteney Ross, Floyd’s girlfriend, testified she has been in a relationship with him since August 2017 and they were together until his death.

Paramedic Seth Zachary Bravinder, who provided medical assistance to Floyd, told the court that when he arrived at the scene, he could tell from a distance that Floyd wasn’t breathing.

Retired Sgt. David Pleoger of the Minneapolis Police Department testified that the force being used by officers should have stopped earlier.

Witness to invoke the Fifth Amendment: The man who was sitting in a car with Floyd when police approached and removed them from the vehicle says he will not testify in the trial. Morries Hall will invoke the Fifth Amendment and not testify if he is called to the stand, according to a filing submitted by his public defender Adrienne Cousins.

Evidence presented this week in Derek Chauvin’s trial on charges that he murdered George Floyd showed a national audience how the former Minneapolis police officer saw his alleged victim: as a dangerous, “sizable” Black man who had to be controlled, subdued and forced to submit. The message Chauvin sent with his actions wasn’t intended for Floyd alone, and it’s one Black Americans have heard for centuries.

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