The murder trial of Derek Chauvin for the death of George Floyd is underway, and the prosecutor began by showing the jury the infamous video that launched a criminal prosecution and a racial equality movement.
Prosecutor Jerry Blackwell told the jury George Floyd died one breath at a time ... and it took more than 9 minutes of Derek Chauvin on his neck.
Blackwell tried to blunt what promises to be a centerpiece of the defense ... that Floyd allegedly died from opiates and not from Chauvin's unforgiving knee.
Blackwell told the jury ... Floyd did indeed struggle with opioid addiction and that included the deadly drug, fentanyl. The prosecutor explained opioids are a tranquilizer and put people to sleep. He says the video makes it clear -- Floyd was fighting for his life and struggling to breathe... and that's not consistent with an opioid OD. He went on to say Floyd developed a tolerance for opioids so it didn't cause his death.
The prosecutor went on to say ... this is not a trial about the police department --- it's a trial involving one cop. He said even cops were shocked at what Chauvin was doing, noting a police dispatcher was watching in real-time and contacted her superior she was so alarmed.