WASHINGTON: The onerous task of seating a jury in the trial of the former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd’s death began in earnest on Tuesday, as prosecution and defense attorneys began questioning the first of a large pool of potential jurors even as ongoing appeals over charges in the case threaten to delay the proceedings

On March 5, the court ruled that the District Judge should consider the reinstatement of a third-degree murder charge against Chauvin which dismissed last October.

The former police officer, who was filmed pressing his knee on Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes leading to the latter's death on May 25, 2020, is charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

The three other former officers, J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao, who were on the scene also face charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter. Their trial is expected to begin in August.

Floyd's death triggered last year's massive protests against racial inequality and police brutality, across many US cities and also internationally.

The incident followed the high-profile cases of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri; Eric Garner in New York; and others that have driven the Black Lives Matter movement in recent years.

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