After the ambulance took George Floyd away, the Minneapolis officer who had pinned his knee on the Black man’s neck defended himself to a bystander by saying Floyd was “a sizable guy” and “probably on something,” according to police video played in court Wednesday.
criminal justice

Police officials continue to use “deeply flawed” records that list approximately 135,000 Chicagoans as members of gangs more than two years after Inspector General Joseph Ferguson found the databases were riddled with errors, according to a follow-up audit released Wednesday.

Onlookers grew increasingly angry as they begged Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin to take his knee off George Floyd’s neck, but Chauvin would not let up, and another officer forced back members of the crowd who tried to intervene, witnesses testified Tuesday at Chauvin’s murder trial.

The video of George Floyd gasping for breath was essentially Exhibit A as the former Minneapolis police officer who pressed his knee on the Black man’s neck went on trial Monday on charges of murder and manslaughter.

Jurors at all trials feel pressure, knowing their decisions will alter lives. But the weight on jurors in Minneapolis is in a whole different category as they’ll be asked whether to assign guilt in the death of a Black man that prompted some of the largest protests in U.S. history.

Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby says the city will no longer prosecute for prostitution, drug possession and other low-level offenses.

A picture of the victims of Monday’s shooting began to emerge a day later, when the suspect in the killings was booked into jail on murder charges after being treated at a hospital.

Opening statements and testimony began Tuesday in the burglary trial of Glenn Whitmore, one day after the court selected its first jury for a criminal trial since March 2020.

A jury has been seated for the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer in George Floyd’s death, with opening statements set for March 29 in a case that led to weeks of protests and a national soul-searching about racial justice.

Sharone Mitchell Jr. is coming in at a turbulent time: Jury trials resumed Monday with a massive backlog of cases, and a controversial criminal justice bill was signed by the governor last month. All of this, of course, comes against the backdrop of COVID-19.

The attorney for George Floyd’s family said Friday that a $27 million settlement of a federal lawsuit by the city of Minneapolis is the largest pretrial civil rights settlement ever.

Floyd family attorney Ben Crump called it the largest pretrial settlement ever for a civil rights claim, and thanked city leaders for “showing you care about George Floyd.”

Reginald Brown was held without bail during a court hearing Thursday, one day after he was charged with allegedly starting the fire that killed Ieashia Ford, 34, and her 10-year-old daughter Porche Ford in their home in the 8600 block of South Hermitage Avenue.

Kyle Rittenhouse’s trial was scheduled to begin March 29, but both sides told a judge that they needed more time to prepare. Kenosha County Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder set a Nov. 1 trial start date, with a May 17 status hearing.

Before he was sentenced Tuesday afternoon, Jovan Battle asked for forgiveness and apologized to the family of 23-year-old Officer John Rivera, who was shot and killed inside his car following a night out with friends in the River North area in March 2019.

Potential jurors must show they can set aside their opinions on the case and view the evidence fairly in the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd’s death.