3 jurors selected on Day Two of Derek Chauvin trial

Tuesday marked the second day of the Derek Chauvin jury-selection process, and three jurors have been selected to serve for the trial.

Court began at 9 a.m. Judge Peter Cahill saw nine potential jurors on Tuesday, one short of the court’s goal. The court also did not receive news from the Court of Appeals that will determine the jurisdiction of continuing or halting the Chauvin trial to potentially reinstate a third-degree murder charge. Chauvin currently faces second-degree murder and manslaughter charges.

Chauvin’s attorney, Eric Nelson, exercised two of his 15 peremptory challenges on potential jurors who identify as Hispanic, which led prosecutors to object that the jurors were being rejected because of their race. Cahill disagreed, noting that the second Hispanic juror to be dismissed had martial arts experience and referred to Chauvin’s restraint as an "illegal" move. The judge said that man made it clear he would stick to his opinions until someone told him otherwise, improperly shifting the burden of proof to the defense.

State vs. Chauvin: Jury selection begins

Two men and one woman have been selected to serve on the jury. One man is a chemist from Minneapolis, the other is an auditor, and the woman from northern Minnesota who relocated to Hennepin County. All three are in their 20s and 30s.

Here is a more detailed look at the mentioned jurors:

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Juror No. 2

Juror No. 2, a white man, was the first selection by Cahill. The juror is a chemist with an environmental science degree and science background. He lives in Minneapolis and said he has not yet seen the video of Chauvin kneeling on George Floyd’s neck as of Tuesday. However, the man said he has seen the still image. When he mentioned in court that he visited the area of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in south Minneapolis, he explained, saying "it happened in my city and it was a transformative event."

The juror said he believes that mandatory minimums are racially biased, based on statistics, after Chauvin’s Attorney Eric Nelson brought the topic up. However, the juror told the defense he does not believe that the Minneapolis Police Department is more likely to confront Black suspects with more force than white suspects.

When asked if the juror either had underlying intentions to answer questions to get on or off the jury, his response was "my answers were truthful."

The man said he supports the Black Lives Matter movement, but views the organization itself unfavorably. He also has an unfavorable view of the Blue Lives Matter movement. He said everyone should matter the same.

"The whole point of that is that all lives should matter equally, and that should include police," he said.

The juror shared a background of resolving conflict, as he worked as a summer camp counselor for "seven to eight" summers. He says he bases his conclusions on conflict based on analysis and facts. When asked if he could decide the case based on the evidence, he said, "I’d rely on what I hear in court."

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Juror No. 9

Juror No. 9, a woman who is originally from northern Minnesota, was the second person selected on the jury. She expressed her excitement — both when she was summoned to court and when the judge confirmed she would be on the jury. Her reasoning was that she "finds the process fascinating." She describes her personality as a "go-with-the-flow" approach.

She mentioned to the court that her uncle is a police officer in Brainerd. Despite the relationship, she says it will not have any impact on her decision-making in the trial. She said she initially had a negative perception of Chauvin because of what she saw in the bystander video.

"That video just makes you sad," she said. "Nobody wants to see somebody die, whether it was his fault or not."

She said there could be many reasons why Chauvin would pin Floyd to the ground, and that while she has heard Floyd had drugs in his system when he died, she understands that may not have been a factor in his death.

She also described herself as a mediator between her friends, able to solve conflict by reading people’s body language and using logic.

In regards to both the Black Lives Matter movement and the Blue Lives Matter ideology, she believes that both are a "bigger scheme" to get people to buy merchandise, and not really about what the movement claims to represent.

The race of the second-confirmed juror is not known at this time.

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Juror No. 19

In the final juror hearing of the day, Cahill approved Juror No. 19 to serve on the jury. The man, who describes himself as an "honest person, straightforward and easy to talk to," is an auditor.

He said he doesn’t have any concerns about his or his family’s safety serving as a jury member in the case. He also mentioned he would keep an open mind until all evidence is present and considered in court, even though he has viewed the video of Chauvin kneeling on Floyd "at least three times," but not in full.

He also stated in court that he had a "friend of a friend" who is a K-9 officer for the Minneapolis Police Department. He says before the pandemic became reality, he typically would see this person twice a year, but reassured that the relationship has no impact on his judgments in this case.

Regarding the Black Lives Matter movement, he supports the general context of it, saying "Black lives do matter." He does have an unfavorable opinion of the Blue Lives Matter ideology.

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Additionally, Cahill ruled on several pretrial motions Tuesday, setting parameters for trial testimony. Among them, Cahill said jurors will hear when Chauvin stopped working for the police department, but not that he was fired or that the city made a "substantial offer" to settle a lawsuit from Floyd’s family. Those details won’t be allowed because they could imply guilt, Cahill said.

Minneapolis City Attorney Jim Rowader said the city made an offer to the Floyd family last summer that was rejected. He didn’t provide details.

More Derek Chauvin trial coverage from KSTP

Cahill also ruled that a firefighter, who can be heard in the bystander video urging the officers to check Floyd’s pulse, will be allowed to testify about what she saw and whether she thought medical intervention was needed. But she won’t be allowed to speculate that she could have saved Floyd if she had intervened. Testimony about what training Chauvin received will be allowed.

The court had one potential juror remaining for the day, but they will continue Tuesday morning with that person. The court is expected to reconvene at 8 a.m., with jurors brought in around 9 a.m.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.