Federal trial for former Minneapolis officers underway, prompting state trial date change

Photo by: Hennepin County Jail
Photo by: Hennepin County Jail

(St. Paul, MN) -- The federal trial for three former Minneapolis police officers in the death of George Floyd is getting underway.  

Thursday's start date has prompted parties to a state trial for the three to be moved to June. In the federal proceeding, all three are accused of violating Floyd's civil rights, while two are accused of "willfully" failing to intervene when Floyd couldn't breathe.

For the state trial, all three are charged with aiding and abetting Floyd's death. The officers were present when Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd's neck, whose death set off unrest across Minneapolis and the nation.