The death of George Floyd sparked national outrage and calls for police reform during the summer of 2020. The trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin began on March 8, 2021.

Here is everything you need to know about what has occurred. 

Who are the jurors?

The jury consists of 14 jurors: five men and nine women, all from the Minneapolis area. 

Who has testified so far?

Eight former and current police officers have testified against Chauvin, including the Minneapolis Chief of Police, Medaria Arradondo, who openly called the death of Floyd a “murder” at the hands of Chauvin.

“Once Mr. Floyd had stopped resisting, and certainly once he was in distress and trying to verbalize that, that should have stopped,” Arradondo said.

On top of these officers, 19 witnesses have testified and over 400 are on the list to potentially be called.

What is Chauvin’s defense saying?

Chauvin’s defense is attempting to blame Floyd’s death on fentanyl, which was found in his system after his death.

The defense is also blaming the crowd of bystanders filming and shouting at Chauvin, and claiming that they distracted Chauvin from paying attention to Floyd’s condition. 

What is the prosecution saying in response?

Pulmonary Specialist Martin Tobin testified on day nine and stated that Floyd died from a lack of oxygen due to his breathing being restricted. Tobin stated that Floyd’s drug use or preexisting conditions had nothing to do with his death. 

On top of this, Louisville Police Physician Bill Smock testified as an expert witness for the prosecution Thursday and stated that the officers on scene should have immediately administered CPR on Floyd.

He also corroborated Tobin’s claim that Floyd died from asphyxiation. 

“That was not a fentanyl overdose. That is somebody begging to breathe,” Smock said during his testimony.

The doctor who attempted to save Floyd’s life for 30 minutes after the arrest, Bradford T. Wankhede Langenfeld, also testified that Floyd died from a lack of oxygen. 

What is Chauvin being charged with, and what kind of punishment could he face?

Chauvin is being charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. It is currently unclear if he will testify during his trial.

If charged with murder, Chauvin could face up to 40 years in prison, and a manslaughter charge could add up to four years to that sentence. 

Where can I watch the trial?

The complete trial is being live streamed on Court TV, and the stream can also be found on YouTube. 

Jacob Latimer can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @jacoblatimer_.