Trial of former cop charged in George Floyd’s death begins

By Ekaete Bassey

The trial of Derek Chauvin, the former police officer charged in the death of George Floyd, began on Monday.

George Perry Floyd Jr. was an African American man killed during an arrest after a store clerk alleged he had passed a counterfeit $20 bill in Minneapolis.

Derek Chauvin, one of four police officers who arrived on the scene, knelt on Floyd’s neck for a period initially reported to be 8 minutes and 46 seconds.

After his death, protest against police brutality, especially towards Black people, quickly spread across the United States and internationally.

As the trial against Derek Chauvin commences, global citizens have taken to Twitter to register their love and solidarity for the murdered victim and his family.

They hoped that justice would be served.

READ ALSO: Minneapolis agrees record $27m settlement with George Floyd family

@ananavarro tweeted: “Regardless of how many times I see it, George Floyd’s video tears my heart. I still don’t understand how a human being could have so nonchalantly knelt on another man’s neck, while he begged for help and cried for his mama with his last breath. I just can’t. Hope he rots in jail.”

@JoyceWhiteVance said: “In the opening, prosecutors say that when an EMT who was a bystander approached to try & check George Floyd’s pulse & render aid, Chauvin refused her & pointed his mace at her.”

@ava tweeted: “If you believe in a power greater than you, please hold the family of Mr. George Floyd in prayer through the trial of his murderer, Police Officer Derek Chauvin. The family will hear character assassination and details of their loved one’s murder. Horrific. Hold them in light.”

@glennkirschner2 tweeted: “The prosecutor in the Derek Chauvin case just told the jury: as several bystanders watched police officers ending George Floyd’s life, the bystanders CALLED THE POLICE ON THE POLICE. Those bystanders knew they were watching a murder in progress. They were right. #JusticeMatters.”

@CoriBush said: “Derek Chauvin is on trial. America is on trial. Our criminal-legal system is on trial. George Floyd is not on trial.”

@RapSwalwell tweeted, “What killed George Floyd was an overdose of excessive force.” — Benjamin Crump, Floyd family attorney #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd.”