City of Minneapolis Readies for Derek Chauvin Murder Trial

(KNSI) – Heavy fencing and barbed wire is going up in spots around Minneapolis as officials begin fortifying key government buildings and other areas in the city ahead of the upcoming murder trial of Derek Chauvin.

Chauvin is on trial for the death of George Floyd last May while in police custody. He is charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter in the case. A hearing is set for March 1st as prosecutors ask the court to reinstate the third-degree murder charge against Chauvin after a three-judge panel upheld the third-degree murder charge against another Minneapolis police officer earlier this month.

That police officer, Mohamed Noor, was convicted for the fatal shooting of Justine Ruszczyk Damond in 2017. He was charged with second-degree intentional murder, second-degree manslaughter, and third-degree murder.

Police Deputy Chief Erick Fors tells residents, “it’s going to be a highly visible presence of officers paired with National Guard soldiers providing patrol and presence and deterrence, really, in key business corridors.”

Earlier, it was revealed that at full capacity, 1,100 law enforcement officers from 12 jurisdictions and 2,000 Minnesota National Guard members would be providing security during the trial.

Police and firefighters were quickly overwhelmed as riots broke out last spring. Governor Tim Walz finally deployed the entire National Guard – roughly 10,000 members – to quell the violence, but not before hundreds of millions of dollars in damage was done to 1,500 buildings as they were looted and burned down in both Minneapolis and St. Paul. That included a Wells Fargo Bank, the local post office serving the Uptown neighborhood, and the Minneapolis Police Department Third Precinct, plus other stores like Walgreens, Chicago Lake Liquors, Target, and Cub Foods.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey says they have one advantage to prepare for the trial.

“The main asset that we have going into March and April that we did not have in late May and early June of 2020 is time.”

Minneapolis Police Chief Maderia Arradondo says agencies have been planning for eight months to get ready.

Officials are urging business owners to consider updating their insurance and possibly boarding up their buildings. One building, a gas station in the heart of the riots, was boarded up, but people made their way inside and looted the business anyway.

Jury selection begins on March 8th.