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Derek Chauvin trial: Judge declines to sequester jury after officer-involved shooting in Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota judge overseeing the trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin, who faces murder charges in the May 2020 death of George Floyd, declined Monday to sequester the jury following an officer-involved shooting Sunday in nearby Brooklyn Center.

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Chauvin’s attorney, Eric Nelson, made the request after violent unrest was reported in the Minneapolis suburb following an officer-involved shooting that left a Black man, identified by family members as 20-year-old Daunte Wright, dead.

>> Related: Fatal shooting of Black man during traffic stop sparks protests near Minneapolis

Nelson noted that at least one juror in the Chauvin trial lives in Brooklyn Center.

“Given that this is obviously a high-profile case, this is a case that evokes a lot of emotion for a lot of people,” Nelson said in court. “The question becomes, will the jury be confident to make a decision regardless of the potential outcome of their decision?”

He said that though the Brooklyn Center shooting did not involve any of the parties involved in the Chauvin case, “the problem is that the emotional response that that case creates sets the stage for a jury to say, ‘I’m not going to vote not guilty because I’m concerned about the outcome.’”

>> Related: Derek Chauvin trial: Restraint of George Floyd ‘absolutely’ violated department policy, chief says

Prosecutor Steve Schleicher argued against sequestering the jury, saying that such a move would not be appropriate “or frankly effective in this matter.”

“It’s a different case. It’s a different department,” Schleicher said. “World events happen. Things continue to happen in this state, despite the fact that we’re all here in trial. That’s just what happens, and we can’t have every single world event that might affect someone’s attitude, or emotional state, or anything be grounds to come back and (reexamine) all of the jurors.”

>> Related: Derek Chauvin trial: Girlfriend testifies about life with George Floyd, opioid addiction

Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill sided with the prosecution Monday, saying the Brooklyn Center shooting was “a totally different case.” He noted that he had previously considered sequestering the jury in the case that someone discovered one of their identities and attempted to tamper with the jury.

“We have no indication that that has happened in this case,” Cahill said. “I understand the argument from the defense that this now puts them more ill-at-ease, but I think sequestering them would only aggravate that.”

>> Related: Derek Chauvin trial: Teen who witnessed George Floyd’s death says, ‘I felt like I was failing him’

He said that such a move would only reinforce the idea that a threat exists to the safety of jury members.

“It would be a different story if it was civil unrest following another verdict where the jury can see what the consequence of a certain verdict might be in a similar case, but that’s not this case,” he said.

>> Related: Derek Chauvin trial: Firefighter who witnessed George Floyd’s arrest testifies

Cahill said he expects to sequester the jury when closing statements begin, which he expects to happen Monday.

Jurors began hearing testimony in Chauvin’s trial March 29. The former Minneapolis police officer was arrested on murder and manslaughter charges in May 2020 after video surfaced on social media showing him pressing his knee to Floyd’s neck for minutes.

>> Related: Derek Chauvin trial: Witness says he called 911 on police, ‘I believe I witnessed a murder’

The Hennepin County medical examiner ruled the death a homicide, determining that Floyd’s heart stopped as he was being restrained. A separate autopsy commissioned for Floyd’s family also called his death a homicide but concluded that he died of asphyxiation due to neck and back compression.

>> Related: Derek Chauvin trial begins: Prosecutors show video of George Floyd’s death, defense says officer followed training

Floyd’s death prompted global outrage and sparked a national reckoning over racism and police brutality.

Three other officers also face charges in Floyd’s death. Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng are charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. They are expected to face juries in August.

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