The trial of Derek Chauvin, accused of killing George Floyd, begins

ON MARCH 29th the trial of Derek Chauvin, a white police officer accused of using his knee to kill George Floyd, a black man, began in Minneapolis. Mr Chauvin is charged with murder and manslaughter over the death, last May, that sparked months of protests. A bystander’s video, some nine minutes long, is a central piece of evidence. The defence case was complicated by news, earlier in March, that the City of Minneapolis agreed to pay $27m in compensation to the Floyd family, and by an autopsy report last year that he died from homicide. Defence lawyers hope to persuade jurors to look beyond the video, noting Mr Floyd’s state of health and evidence of drugs in his body.■