omar jimenez is with us now from indianapolis. re you learning about what happened last night? >> fred, a tenth time around the country but especially so here in the minneapolis area. last night we saw protests in br brooklyn center, a few miles outside of minneapolis. and basically what happens every nate, you see hours and hours of peaceful protesting, marching, singing be as night falls, things tend to get more contentious with objects lobbed at police, police throwing projectiles back and that becomes the relationship. you run up against the curfew and they try to clear the area and that's where you see some more of the violent images. at night at least 100 people were arrested, which is insane because you think about the fact the night before there were zero people arrested. but you get the sense there's a tension here in the area. when you look at the timeline here, this comes in response of the death and shooting and killing of the daunte wright by the hands of police. and then you look at the trial of derek chauvin and kill

. >> xwlets to cnn's omar jimenez in george floyd square in minneapolis. that's what they call the area of the city where george floyd died. omar, it must be an incredibly somber scene there. >> reporter: it is, jake. we've been talking to people here throughout the day about what this moment means. of course, we were talking to them before we even knew that a verdict was in, and for many of them the common thread is that what happened to george floyd is not an end all be all. no matter what the verdict is, that this needs to be the beginning of a long-term practice of treating black people with respect, and this is really what it's all about. when you think about the verdict and we get all caught up in all the legal proceedings and the trial and the legalize and what one witness said versus another. what it comes down to is this spot where george floyd laid under the knee of derek chauvin for 9 minutes and 29 seconds, multiple minutes of which he was unconscious for back in may of 2020. it's become a makeshift memorial. it started at this cup foods here on

and then they would be sequestered as they deliberate over a verdict. >> omar jimenez, appreciate the thank you very much, omar. >>> antonio raminucci along with george floyd's cuz and good to see you again. thanks for being with us. last week when we spoke you said your were pessimistically optimistic about a conviction. i wonder how you're doing now, how the floyd family is doing in general as the defense starts to present its side. >> well, i think my feelings are pretty much still the same. i think that the prosecution did a tremendous job today of backing the expert witness out of his testimony that he did not feel it was excessive force being used. so i thought that was very good, but my position is pretty much still the same just because i don't have the ability to know what the thoughts are in the minds of each of the jurors. >> yeah. and which is of course, what it really comes down to in this trial. tony, do you think the defense, tony, accomplished what they set out to do today in the interview because you heard in omar's report, the prosecution seemed to dismantle the use

that's one of the cases mentioned by omar jimenez a moment ago.sses describe a chaotic scene as police opened fire into the car brown was driving. police say it happened while deputies tried to serve an arrest warrant on drug charges. authorities haven't said why police felt the need to shoot more have they released body cam footage of the incident. the killing has sparked two days of protests in elizabeth city. authorities have opened an investigation and a local sheriff vows that the deputies involved will be held accountable if evidence shows they violated the law. >>> following the wave of police shootings u.s. lawmakers are looking at law enforcement reforms, but despite a consensus that things need to change, how should they change remains a major sticking point. cnn's manu raju explains. >> reporter: talks are intensifying on capitol hill about how to deal with the episodes of police violence that we have seen devastating communities, particularly communities of color. all across the united states and there are signs that there could be pos

for fentanyl, no. >> and omar jimenez joins us, now, from minneapolis. so, can you explain the context and significance of the drugs found in both vehicles? >> yeah. significant, mainly, for the fact that the jury can now hear, for themselves, that drugs were found in these vehicles. we did know, prior to this, that some of these same drugs were already found in george floyd's system. based on the autopsy report. but it speaks to the larger point of, as closely as you and i have been paying attention to this, the only people that really matter, at this point, are the jurors in that courtroom. and based on reports that we have gotten from inside, this week has seemed to be a little bit harder for them to pay full attention, as we've sort of been in this expert-testimony phase. compared to what we saw last week, which was the more dramatic, emotional testimony phase that we saw. nonetheless, many of them have been taking notes. we've seen some confer, back and forth, among themselves. and then, of course, we work our way towards what will be the final port

i want to get now to omar jimenez. you see the scene that's taking operation now in minneapolis and get out to where the folksing are where it looks like a celebration. this is cup foods where omar is, and this is where the event unfolded and the reason that we're here today. omar jimenez, what are you seeing there? >> yeah, don, right now we had people literally throwing money in the air, but it has been a feeling and a scene of celebration from the very beginning, from when that verdict was read, guilty on all charges. you heard people cheering. you had people crying in these streets as well. you had people honestly in disbelief over the fact that we even got to this point that an officer was actually found guilty of a crime that they believed he committed long before the judge ever stepped into that courtroom and read that verdict. i mean, this is happening literal steps from where george floyd's final minutes played out, and right now you -- everywhere you turn, more people are coming into this crowd and they are ge

omar jimenez, thanks very much. let us a bring in our legal and law enforcement team. cnn legal analyst. laura coates. he is a criminal defense attorney. she is a former prosecutor. also, charles ramsey, former top cop in d.c. and philadelphia. welcome to all of you. laura, i do want to begin with the testimony from derek chauvin's supervisor, his sergeant. him saying -- i mean, he said, in no uncertain terms, that the force applied by chauvin, the knee in the neck, should have stopped when floyd was no longer resisting. this contradicts the defense, to this point, saying that he was just following training. how critical was that testimony? >> this was extraordinarily critical, to have somebody who is in law enforcement. his supervisor, to really debunk this myth that he was perpetuating, so far. which is that you are able to use force, even after any force is being used against you. remember, this is about the idea of whether an officer can use a reasonable amount of force to stop whatever perceived threat is against them. once that perceived threat is essentially neu

in his pin his opinion, was excessive, but also said some of the his actions were reasonable as omar jimenez records. >> sergeant, just a reminder, you are stilled under oath. >> yes, sir. >> reporter: today's testimony, more cops taking the stand. >> in your opinion, does the defendant's used force need to be reasonable during the entire tame tao time pared? >> sergeant jody steiger, who defend that the force derek chauvin used was -- >> he was not attempting to assault the officers, kick, punch or anything of that nature. >> reporter: but chauvin's attorney during cross-examination focused on what could have happened, specifically one of their argument that the crowd was becoming -- >> it's a possible that an officer can view that as a potential deadly assault is about to happen? that's what they're trained? >> yes, that's what they're trained. >> reporter: but during prosecutor questioning -- >> i did not perceive them as being a threat. >> why is that? >> because they were merely filming and they were -- most of it was their concern for mr. floyd. >> reporter: the defense also mover to s

cnn's omar jimenez with the latest from the courtroom. >> your honor, the state of minnesota rests. >> mr. nelson, anything further? >> no, your honor. >> reporter: the stage is now set for the long awaited closing arguments in the time of derek chauvin and the longer awaited jury deliberations. notably, jurors didn't ever hear testimony from derek chauvin, who until thursday was only heard through his comments caught on body camera video presented. >> had to hold the guy down. he was -- he was going crazy. wouldn't go in the back of the squad. >> reporter: he then confirmed jurors wouldn't hear testimony from him in this trial. >> i will invoke my fifth amendment privilege today. >> reporter: outside of chauvin's decision, a lot of courts centered on a familiar face, the return of pull monday ollist dr. martin tobin, who prosecutors used as a rebuttal witness to refute that carbon monoxide could have played a part in george floyd's death. >> does that tell us anything whatsoever about what the carbon monoxide content could have been at a maximum? >> yes, it does. if the heem globen i

first we go to omar jimenez. >> reporter: today was all about arguably the most important part of the trial and that's george floyd's cause of death. specifically, today centered on what an autopsy shows versus what it doesn't, what playing a role in a death means versus what caused it. both prosecutors and the defense tried to fill in those crucial gaps with the much-awaited witnesses that took the stand. in one of the most highly-anticipated moments of the trial -- >> you conducted the autopsy on mr. george floyd? >> i did. >> reporter: dr. andrew baker took the stand. >> you didn't see any damage to the heart muscle? >> that is correct. >> did you notice anything resembling a pill or pill fragments in the stomach? >> i did not. >> reporter: he listed the manner of death as homicide. but specifically cardio pulmonary arrest from restraint and neck compression. no mention of asphyxia and no physical findings to support it either. >> in my opinion, the law enforcement subdue and restraint and the neck pressure was more than mr. floyd could take by virtue of those heart conditions. >>

floyd's death. >> omar jimenez joins us now. is there any sense how the jury reacted to the part about heart disease and drugs? >> reporter: the jurors were very engaged during dr. baker's testimony and cross-examination. a few of them for example seemed to take extra notes during the part where dr. baker talked about if he found george floyd inside a locked home without any other factors, he would have considered this an overdose case. while another juror seemed to be annoyed at the line of questioning coming from the defense squinting his eyes and shaking his head at various points and these are the dynamics that really matter at this point. how these jurors are interpreting these exchanges on arguably the most important topic in this trial, george floyd's cause of death. now, also, in court, we had a representative from the floyd family who is there who had to look through these incredibly graphic autopsy photos but for the first time in over a month, he actually had someone seated in the family representative spot for derek

cnn's omar jimenez is in minneapolis. omar, that place we just showed in george floyd square is hallowed ground both demanding major changes in the way police officers work in their communities. what are people there telling you on the ground? >> when you look at this week ahead, this is the week that people have been waiting for almost a year now here in the minneapolis area. and when you look at the preparations that we're seeing, businesses are boarding up, law enforcement presence is. >> even the school system is sending everyone to remote learning midway through the week because there has been so much anticipation around this week. and we have seen rallies as we saw over at george floyd square today, but also protests outside the governor's mansion as well, wanting to keep the pressure on the officials outside of the legal system and what's played out over the course of this trial. once we get through closing statements that are expected tomorrow, the jury in this case will be sequestered or isolated and then it could

let's go to omar jimenez in minneapolis, where protests in brooklyn center grew chaotic last night, omar. what are you learning about what happened? >> that's right, fred. at least 100 people were arrested on friday night on the sixth night in a row of protests in the name of daunte wright since he was shot and killed at the hands of police. now what we have seen night in and night out where you're on site is these largely start very peaceful, in the hundreds, with songs, marches, many stories and as night falls, things get a little more contentious and last night in particular it was a little bit after 10:00 p.m. local time when police decared it an unlawful assembly. they try to clear out the area and that's when you begin seeing some of the arrests begin. that's been the arrests we've seen play out during the course of the week and the one we will likely see play out into tonight as well. of course, all of this comes within the backdrop of the trial of derek chauvin in the killing of george floyd. closing arguments in that trial are set for monday and in preparation, the city here in

cnn's omar jimenez is on the ground in minneapolis for us this evening. good evening, omar. today we heard from the medical examiner who conducted george floyd's autopsy and ruled his death a homicide. tell me about his testimony. >> reporter: today was arguably about the most important part of this trial, the cause of george floyd's death. this was a highly anticipated day because we heard from dr. andrew baker, the chief medical examiner in hennepin county and the one who conducted george floyd's autopsy. he ruled floyd's death a homicide. he went back and forth over what it means to be a factor in someone's death and what it means to be the cause of death, specifically when it came to a pillar of the defense's argument that floyd died from medical history. >> -- that played a role in the death but didn't directly cause the death. so, for example, you know, mr. floyd's use of fentanyl did not cause the subdual or neck rest restraint. his heart disease did not cause the subdual or the neck restraint. >> so in your opinion, both the heart disease as well as the history of hy

cnn's omar jimenez is in brooklyn center where wright was killed. what's happening there tonight? >> reporter: wolf, as we head into this weekend, we wade further into a very tense time here in the minneapolis area. we're outside the brooklyn center police department. as you can see, fortified fencing here behind me with air fresheners signifying what daunt wright's mother says he was pulled over for. kim potter has been charged with second degree manslaughter but is out on bail. as raw as the emotions have been for protesters here, it's even more so for the family of wright, who feel those charges don't go far enough and they want the full weight of the justice system to come down on that officer. >> second degree manslaughter is not okay. i'm not okay with that. that's not right. she murdered my son. my son is never going to come home. she gets to sit on a police pension right now while my son is going to be buried in a few days. that's not okay. >> reporter: and of course what she means by that is the acting city manager says potter is still entitled to benefits, though the cit

cnn's omar jimenez has our report from minneapolis. >> reporter: the beginning of the defense's case for former minneapolis police officer derek chauvin offered jurors the first expert witness to definitively defend chauvin's actions. >> i felt that derek chauvin was justified, was acting with objective reasonableness following minneapolis police department policy and current standards of law enforcement and interactions with mr. floyd. >> reporter: use of force consultant saying the officers could have used more force when he resisted. >> i felt that that level of resistance exhibited by mr. floyd justified the officers in higher levels use of force they chose not to select. >> reporter: during cross examination, prosecutors pushed back specifically on the time of use of force, same situational awareness that an officer might use to monitor a crowd might be used to monitor a suspect's physical condition. >> particularly if they're exhibiting signs of stress. >> yes. >> loss of consciousness? >> yes. >> inability to breathe? >> yes. >> loss of pulse? >> yes. >> all of these things th

omar jimenez, minneapolis. >> you can see we have heard powerful testimony throughout the chauvin trial some of it has come from unexpected sources. it's seldom we see police officers testify against one of their own and, yet, you can see them there, one-by-one, officers have taken the stand on behalf of the prosecution to testify against their former colleague derek chauvin, chipping away at the so-called blue wall of silence. earlier this week, even the minneapolis police chief gave a stinging rebuke of chauvin's actions. >> to continue to apply that level of force to a person proned out, handcuffed behind their back, that that in no way, shape, or form, is anything that is by policy, it is not part of our training, and it is certainly not part of our ethics or our values. >> dorsey is a retired los angeles police officer sergeant and joins me now and the author of "black and blue volume two the creation of a social advocate." thank you for being here. what a week. i want to get to the substance of what has happened this week. very detailed, very dramatic testimony. for the jury, thou

cnn's omar jimenez is following that story from minnesota. >> reporter: the beginning of the defense'se for former minneapolis police officer derek chauvin offered jurors the first expert witness to definitively defend chauvin's actions. >> i felt that derek chauvin was justified, was acting with objective reasonableness following minneapolis police department policy and current standards of law enforcement in his interactions with mr. floyd. >> reporter: a use of force consultant saying the officers could have used more force when he resisted. >> i felt that that level of resistance exhibited by mr. floyd justified the officers and higher levels use of force that they chose not to select. >> reporter: but during cross-examination prosecutors pushed back, specifically on the length of time of the use of force, asking if the same situational awareness an officer might use to monitor a crowd should also be used to monitor a suspect's medical condition. >> particularly if they are exhibiting signs of distress. >> yes. >> loss of consciousness? >> yes. >> inability to breathe? >> yes. >> l

omar jimenez, cnn, minneapolis. >>> the white house adviser for covid response says the u.s.rack to hit its vaccination goals. and in a matter of days all adults are expected to become vaccine eligible. america's top infectious disease expert who is fully vaccinated explained what he would be comfortable doing. >> i would -- i mean, in an outdoor restaurant right now where we are, i would not hesitate to do that. but the fact is i just haven't done t i would not hesitate to go to an outdoor baseball game. i would wear a mask because i'm out there in the community. my risk would be extremely low, particularly if i wear a mask. i'm someone that is a bit risk averse, but i would not hesitate to sit in an open stands and watch the nats play at all. >>> in michigan vaccines can't come fast enough, but federal health officials have rejected the governor's request for additional doses as covid cases surge in her state. instead they are sending more vaccinators to get shots out quicker. >> the variants that we have seen in michigan, those variants are also present in other states. so

omar jimenez is in missisnneapo for us. the new defense testimony emerged. update our viewers. >> reporter: that's right, wolf. this was really the defense's chance to try to counter medical witness after medical witness prosecutors brought to the stand over last week and into this one and comes at a critical time for the defense to try to make an impression on jurors in the final leadup to closing arguments just days away now. day two of defense witnesses in the trial of former minneapolis police officer derek chauvin and the topic shifted from use of force to cause of death for george floyd. >> did you form in your opinion to a reasonable degree of medical certainty what you thought was the principal cause of mr. floyd's death? >> yes. >> and what is that? >> cardiac arrythmia, due to hypertensive at row cardio vaft ar disease. >> in other words, bad heart while restrained by police. no mention of asphyxiation or low levels of oxygen brought on by being face down on the street, handcuffed with the weight of three officers. he went on to testify about possi

our omar jimenez pointed this out. no mention of a knee on a neck, instead, this is a bland and up truthful sentence which reads officers were able to get the suspect into handcuffs and noted he appeared to be suffering medical distress. that would have been george floyd if that dishonest account was the last and not first word on what happened. joining us now, two senior legal analysts, charles ramsey, cnn law enforcement analyst and top cop in philadelphia and d.c. in terms of possible jail time, prison time, what is this officer now facing? >> the charges are with the highest, normally 40 years and 25 years and ten years but again, it's a sentencing grid based on his criminal history. you're looking at a presumptive sentence of 12 or more years. there is aggravating factor stage going now where the judge will look at the fact this happened in front of a child, that floyd was a particularly vulnerable person and the power dynamic of a police officer doing this to a civilian and the judge can take into consideration o

. >> omar jimenez on the scene, stand by. we're coming up on the top of the hour. it will be 11:00 p.m. eastern time, 10:00 central. that is when a curfew goes into effect. we're back in just two minutes with our crews live from brooklyn center, minnesota. don't go anywhere. just gives you away ♪ ♪ the things, you say you're unbelievable. oh! ♪ applebee's irresist-a-bowls are back. dig in for just $8.99. ♪ forget what your smoking-hot moms and teachers say, just remember my motto. if you ain't first... you're last! woo-hoo! hey xfinity, show me disney plus... i'm here on business. i need your help. i've been quested to bring this one back to its kind. now you can access exclusive disney originals... we are an unusual couple. oh i don't think that was ever in question. ...and stream must-see disney new releases! people need this symbol. where do we start? find the best in entertainment all in one place, with disney plus now on xfinity! a way better way to watch. >>> a curfew in effect for a second consecutive night in brooklyn center, minnesota. police warning prote

omar jimenez, cnn, minneapolis. >>> so we learned a lot from omar's report there.hat you need to know is that both sides in the chauvin trial are attempting to establish a substantial causal factor which led to george floyd's death. that means outside of any other factors, what could have caused floyd's death just by itself. could derek chauvin's knee have done that, or drugs, or even something else? cnn legal analyst elliot williams explained the defense's strategy when he spoke with my colleague, chris cuomo. >> these are terms that mean -- make total sense to us in english but they're complicated legal terms. now, it doesn't -- under the law in minnesota it doesn't have to be the sole thing that caused an individual's death but the substantial causal factor. now, it's hard to watch that video from where we sit and see how chauvin's knee was not the substantial causal factor, but, again, what the defense has been doing is putting up any number of factors and this came up a lot today, this question of drug use and did he have drugs in his system, did he have drugs

cnn's omar jimenez has more from minneapolis. >> what is proportional force?> well, you want to use the least amount of force necessary to meet your objectives. >> reporter: more than 20 witnesses have been called in the trial for derek chauvin, many of them officers. >> if you don't have a pulse on a person, you will immediately start cpr just because they're speaking doesn't mean they're breathing adequately. >> reporter: week two of testimony has largely focused on training. police lieutenant mercil is a use of force instructor with the training division at the minneapolis police department. >> sir, is this an mpd-trained neck restraint? >> no, sir. >> reporter: mercil admitted there are scenarios where a knee on a neck happens in times of resistance, but -- >> for example, the subject was under control and handcuffed, would this be authorized? >> i would say no. >> reporter: the defense for dethe defense pushing that george floyd died from drugs and miss medical condition. >> the higher your blood rate your respiration and heart rate is, generally the fast

cnn's omar jimenez is following the trial from minneapolis. >> reporter: day two of defense witnessesthe trial of former minneapolis police officer derek chauvin and the topic shifted from use of force to cause of death for george floyd. >> did you form in your opinion to a reasonable degree of medical certainty what you thought was the principal cause of mr. floyd's death? >> yes. >> and what is that? >> cardiac arrhythmia due to hypertensive@row sclerotic cardiovascular disease during restraint. >> reporter: in other words, a bad heart while being restrained by police. no mention of asphyxiation or low levels of oxygen brought on by being chest down on the street, handcuffed with the weight of three officers. dr. david fowler went on to testify about what he thought were several possible contributing factors to george floyd's death. >> so we have a heart that's vulnerable because it's too big, there are certain drugs that are present in his system that make it -- put it at risk of an arrhythmia. >> reporter: he added the potential for carbon monoxide from the squad car's exhaust. >>

cnn's omar jimenez joins -- joins us, with our coverage. . >> reporter: the start of week two of testimony, and the current-minneapolis police chief takes the stand in the trial of derek chauvin, his former officer. >> do you believe have a belief, as to when this restraint, restraint on the ground, that you viewed, should have stopped? >> once mr. floyd had stopped resisting. and certainly, once he was in distress and trying to verbalize that. to continue to apply that level of force to a person, prone out, handcuffed behind their back. that -- that -- that, in no way, shape, or form, is anything that is by policy. it is not part of our training, and it is, certainly, not part of our ethics or our values. >> in late may, chief medaria arradondo. chauvin knew what he was doing, and what happened to mr. floyd was murder. >> so, is it your belief, then, that this-particular form of restraint, if that's what you -- if that's what we'll call it -- in fact, violates departmental policy. >> i, absolutely, agree, that violates our policy. >> reporter: then, the defense asked questions as part of

. >>> you're watching the breaking news on cnn straight to cnn's omar jimenez right now in brooklyn centermnants of what's been left of protesters. we kind of were pushed back a few moments ago. and now we're trying to see what prompted everybody to start running, sprinting back from this police line. but all of these scattered cars are here again, people left over. while there are still people here chanting, as you can hear, the numbers are nowhere near what they were maybe an hour ago. but you see kind of the relationship where they are to this police line that is now advanced at least a block from where they initially were, a little bit south of us right now outs the brooklyn center police department. and again, we are now just a few minutes from what is supposed to be a curfew here in this area for the second night in a row. this night is a few hours later and people are still here, passionate, emotional, of course, about what happened a few days ago now with daunte wright shot and killed at the hands of police here in brooklyn center, minnesota. as we know, the chief has resigned. the

omar jimenez live outside the cup foods store, i know you talked to a lot of people inside the storehat day and there is a crowd there tonight. what are people telling you and what are you hearing behind you? >> reporter: frankly, they look at this as a new day in america for people here and when you pan around to the crowd, this is the intersection where some of george floyd's final moments played out. it is amazing when you contrast that, his body was under the knee of derek chauvin's a year ago and this is his legacy this day where that police officer was convicted on all charge and it became a convicted murder and conclusion many people here felt they knew will ever the verdict was read. hundreds shown up to the scene. one of the men broke down in tears as he reacted or saw the news. he said that his mind, before that verdict was read went back to rodney king. he said we saw what happened and the officer got off. when that verdict was read, he completely could not believe it and broke down in tears and described it as a new day. i want to keep the camera over here towards where t

with police and a use of force expert who said that chauvin's actions were justified as cnn's omar jimenez reports. >> the beginning of the defense's case for former minneapolis police officer derek chauvin offered jurors the first expert witness to definitively defend chauvin's actions. >> i felt that derek chauvin was justified, was acting with objective reasonableness following minneapolis police department policy and current standards of law enforcement and in his interactions with mr. floyd. >> reporter: the use of force saying they could have used more force. >> it's easy to sit and judge on an officer's conduct. it's more of a challenge to, again, put yourself in the officer's shoes. >> reporter: the defense also took jurors back to may 25th, 2020 with police body camera video. >> he still won't get in the car. >> just sit down, dude. >> reporter: how would you describe mr. floyd's behavior while inside of the cup foods? >> happy, normal, talking, alert. >> reporter: shawanda hill was a friend of george floyd's who was in the car with him in the moments leading to his confrontation

the latest now from cnn's omar jimenez. >> find the defendant guilty. >> reporter: with a guilty verdictn all three charges, derek chauvin went from former minneapolis police officer to convicted murderer. whose new reality is now a prison cell, similar to this one, separate from the general population and at a state prison about 25 miles outside of minneapolis, while in the city -- celebrations. >> we can finally breathe. >> reporter: from a community that didn't think a conviction was possible. and to a george floyd family that knows the work isn't finished. >> we have to stick together and continue to fight because this world is a place that we're supposed to be united and stand together. >> reporter: a mentality from the streets of minneapolis to the white house. >> this is our first shot at dealing with systemic racism. >> reporter: and part of that local leaders hope can come from the department of justice now launching a probe into practices at the minneapolis police department. minneapolis mayor jacob frye welcomes the investigation as an opportunity to continue working toward de

let's get right to cnn's omar jimenez. he's in minneapolis covering the trial for us. omar, explain what we just saw and heard from the police chief. >> yeah, jake. so this is really the start of week two of testimony here in this trial, and this was a highly anticipated witness here. the current minneapolis police chief arredondo testifying in the trial of derek chauvin, his former officer, and the most critical part of the testimony is when he was asked if he had a belief or an opinion on when the actions chauvin took on may 25th, 2020 should have stopped and critically he said once there was no longer any resistance and clearly when floyd was no longer responsive. to apply that level of force to a person prone, handcuffed behind his back is not part of policy training and not part of the ethics or values of being a minneapolis police officer. we had clues as to what he was going to say based on prior messaging that he put out. he released a letter in the weeks after firing these officers, of course, within 48 hours of thpg happening, calling what happened murder, and

omar jimenez, thank you so much. and i know we'll jump back into more testimony momentarily. let's talk about all this, though. omar set it up just perfectly for us. elie honig is back today and cedric alexander is with us, the former president of the national organization of black law enforcement executives. so gentlemen, welcome. and elie, starting with you on some of omar's points, let's start on this paramedic who was up on the stand. they went through the care and treatment that the paramedics attempted to give george floyd when they arrived on the scene and then he testified that he saw multiple officers still on top of george floyd, you know, he could see george floyd wasn't breathing, asked the officer finally to get off floyd's neck, as he said, quote, so we can move the patient. what did you make of that, the prosecution line of questioning there? >> two big points, brooke, first of all. building on omar's point, there's a pattern here. every single person in this vicinity of cup foods, the cashier, the bystanders, the woman who was a firefighter and now the paramed

>> omar jimenez in minneapolis, thank you so much. >>> let's discuss all this with civil rights attorney cornell william brooks and also retired lapd sergeant sheryl dorsey. thanks to both of you for being here. sergeant dorsey, let me start with you. there's been a lot of discussion about whether this was just one now former police officer on trial or policing in general on trial. the what do you hope to see come out of this investigation by the justice department? >> well, this was certainly one officer on trial, but we know that policing in general is problematic. listen, i'm appreciative of the fact that the doj is looking into the minneapolis police department. they are not unique in their problems. here you have derek chauvin with 22 personnel complaints, and he was only disciplined once. how does that happen? there's a derek chauvin, at least one on every department across these 18,000 and while i like to believe that they are the few, they are in the minority, it's still far too many, and so i think they have a problem yet on their hands in minneapolis, because, listen, not only

cnn's omar jimenez filed this report from minneapolis. >> what is proportional force?> well, you want to use the least amount of force necessary to meet your objectives. >> reporter: more than 20 witnesses have been called in the trial for derek chauvin, many of them officers. >> if you don't have a pulse on a person, you will immediately start cpr just because they're speaking doesn't mean they're breathing adequately. >> reporter: week two of testimony has largely focused on training. police lieutenant johnny mercil is a use of force instructor with the minneapolis police department. >> sir, is this an mpd-trained neck restraint? >> no, sir. >> reporter: mercil admitted, though, there are scenarios where a knee on the neck does happen in times of aggressive resistance, but -- >> for example, the subject was under control and handcuffed, would this be authorized? >> i would say no. >> reporter: the defense for derek chauvin pushing the lieutenant to their central argument, that george floyd died largely from drugs and his medical history, asking about drugs and adrena

christi, boris. >> omar jimenez, thank you so much.st joey jackson with us now. joey, we saw at the end of that story where derek chauvin was deciding not to take the stand. based on conversations i've had with you in the past, i'm assuming you believe that to be the right choice? >> yes, there's no question. good morning to you, christi. listen in the event he took the stand. i know obviously people want to hear from the defendant. i think there's really analysis out there that would suggest, oh, the jury is going to be confused. or the jury wants to hear him or absent hearing from him there's going to be problems. the jury is instructed properly, and the instructions the jury gets that tells them you're not to consider that. he will have to account for his conduct. and sorry there came a time where mr. floyd was unresponsive, is that right? right. you have an opportunity to reassess, correct? yes. he was under control, right? yes. he was in handcuffs, right? yes. he was in fact no longer speaking to you? yes. people in the crowd said

omar jimenez has details. >> reporter: day two in the trial of former-minneapolis police officer derek and the topic shifted, from use of force, to cause of death for george floyd. >> did you form, in your opinion, to a reasonable degree of medical certainty, what you thought was the principal cause of mr. floyd's death? >> yes. >> what is that? >> cardiac arrhythmia, due to hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease during restraint. >> reporter: in other words, a bad heart while being restrained by police. no mention of asphyxiation, as other doctors have testified. or low levels of oxygen, brought on by being chest down on the street, handcuffed, with the weight of three officers. dr. david fowler went on to testify about, what he thought were several, possible, contributing factors to george floyd's death. >> so, we have a heart that's vulnerable because it's too big. there are certain drugs, that are present in his system. that make it -- put it at risk of an arrhythmia. >> reporter: he added the potential for carbon monoxide from the squad car's exhaust. >> it is an extr

but first, let's go to cnn's omar jimenez, in minneapolis. so, how is the community reacting tonight as the jury is now deliberating? >> yeah, anderson, you just showed some of those pictures. we are already seeing marches and protests calling for the verdict, in this trial, to be guilty. against derek chauvin. but, of course, the jury is deliberating about whether they even get to that point in this process has been close to a year in the making right now. those protestors, marching through the streets of parts of minneapolis. and when you talk about the preparations in place prior to that, law-enforcement presence has been stepped up. added fortifications outside police precincts. the governor, even calling for more law enforcement resources from other states. and, of course, all of this is in anticipation of a verdict. and as people on both sides, in this trial, made their fainal pitches to jurors, today. >> his name was george perry floyd jr. >> the first words in closing arguments for the prosecution were not of the man on trial, but of

. >> cnn's omar jimenez is in minneapolis covering the trial. >> reporter: abby, this was the first weeked some light on the reality of this case. on the information side of things we learned what happened before police were initially called, that it was a teenage cashier who is wrestling over what he believed was a $20 bill or pay it out of his own pockets. we learned what happened when medical personnel first arrived. one of the paramedics had to tell officers to get off of floyd while another testified that for all intents and purposes when he arrived, he believed george floyd was dead. we learned what derek chauvin thought in the immediate aftermath after floyd had been taken away, we heard him defending himself to a bystander who took issue at what had just happened. >> i had to control this guy because he's a sizeable guy. >> yeah. >> he was probably on something. >> reporter: we also learned what his supervising sergeant at the time thought of that as he testified based on all the video that he had seen, he believed derek chauvin used excessive force on george floyd. while a separ

omar jimenez takes a look back at what's been an emotional-few weeks of testimony. >> reporter: fromorter: emotions and expertise. >> all that my research is related basically to breathing. >> reporter: have defined the trial for former-minneapolis police officer, derek chauvin, after a weeks-long jury-selection process, the beginning of witness testimony took jurors and the country, back, to may 25th, 2020. some witnesses, who were steps away from what happened, say they, still, feel the weight of the decisions they made that day, all-these-months later. >> it's been nights i stayed up, apologizing. and -- and apologizing to george floyd for not doing more. and not physically interacting. >> reporter: the defense, for chauvin, has been hoping to paint jurors a picture of an officer distracted by the perceived threat of a crowd. but doing, exactly, what he was trained to do. >> had to hold the guy down. he was -- was going crazy. wouldn't go in the back of the squad -- >> reporter: as testimony shifted, from what happened, to the use of force involved when it did. >> is this a traine

let's go to omar jimenez when is on the street. he's been reporting there as well. eling on the street there? >> alisyn, we're at ground zero for what happened to george floyd. this, of course, behind us is the intersection now known as george floyd square since this happened last may. as we've been talking to people throughout here, there has been a combination of moments. some tenseness and some nervousness and some even fearful of what the verdict might bring, but at the end of the day one woman we spoke to said that no matter what happens, they are still going to be in the streets. they are still going to remain in solidarity with each other because they believe that this moment is not just about george floyd. it was sparked by him, but it means so much more, and it has the potential to send reverberations for generations to come. when you look at many so of the messages and the faces that are here at george floyd square, of course, pinned down in the middle by the fists raised in the air, orlando castillo, aashwari, breonna taylor and tamir rice, people who have

. >> omar jimenez, thank you so much for bringing us the latest there on the ground in minneapolis. >>> a dark reminder, that behind america's gun violence statistics, lives cut short and families turned apart. people gathering there are grieving and mark the death of thursday's mass shooting. it is a scene that's all too common in america. ahead this hour, half of all adults in the u.s. have had one covid vaccine dose. younger people are proven harder to convince. >>> do not adjust your beach chair in florida. look at this. the pilot as a world war ii makes an incredible emergency landing. ♪ ♪ at capella university, we know the world is pretty smart. ♪ ♪ wicked smart. so we made flexpath smart enough that you can finish the bachelor's degree in business you've started in 18 months for $18,000. that's smart. capella university. don't just learn. learn smarter. capella university. did you know prilosec otc can stop frequent heartburn before it begins? prilosec otc uses a unique delayed-release formula that works to turn down acid production, blocking heartburn at the source. with just

. >> let's go to omar jimenez to begin our coverage tonight. omar, when you take a look at this trial you now have yet another member of the minneapolis police department condemning chauvin's actions today. >> reporter: that's right, especially over the past few days we have seen senior level officers within this department testifies in regards of the training chauvin has had saying this is not what we do. floyd's brother, rodney does in the courtroom today. watching today was a nail biter and it is like a movie where you don't know what's going to happen next. >> reporter: more than 20 witnesses have been called for the trial of chauvin's. many of them are officers. >> just because they are speaking does not mean they are breathing adequately. >> reporter: police lieutenant jo johnny marcelle is a training police at the police department. >> marcelle admitted there are scenarios where a knee on the neck does happen in times of aggressive resistance. but -- >> for example, the subject was under control and handcuffed, would it be authorized? >>

omar jimenez joins us for coverage. >> reporter: the start of week two of testimony and the current

let's go to cnn's omar jimenez. seeing because usually, about now, police are trying to get them out of there. the protestors. the protestors are usually pretty adamant that they don't want to go. what's happening? >> that's right, don, so we are a half-hour away from a curfew put in place by the mayor just a few moments ago. and i kind of want to show you what the scene is outside of the brooklyn center police department. this is now a fifth night in a row. people want to make their presence known. you see, the signs, all of them being held in the face of the officers on the other side of this fence here. again, all, in the name of daunte wright. the first demonstrations we saw were that sunday afternoon. and they have been here every single night, snow or shine, as we have seen, over the past-few days, in a row, now. they have projected signs on to buildings saying justice for daunte. so when we talked about that approaching curfew. and about how these officers and law enforcement want them, so much, to get out of

let's start our coverage with cnn's omar jimenez covering the trial in minneapolis. the police chief was a prosecution witness, called to testimony against and to con chemical, for all practical purposes, the actions of this former police officer. >> that's right, wolf. we've heard from now more than 20 witnesses as part of this trial and as week two of testimony is underway. when you look at what we've heard over the totality of this, prosecutors are now shifting from what happened on may 25th, to the training that derek chauvin had prior to us even getting to that date. what's note worthy is we have heard from multiple senior level officers that have testified from the minneapolis police department, many of them saying they do not believe that chauvin's actions should have happened the way they did. now that includes the current minneapolis police chief. >> reporter: the start of week two of testimony and the current minneapolis police chief takes the stand in the trial of derek chauvin, his former officer. >> do you have a belief as to when this restraint, a restr

omar jimenez is on the story. tell us about this final round of testimony on this day four of testimony during this trial. tell us about chauvin's use of force on floyd. >> reporter: wolf, bottom line, derek chauvin's supervisory sergeant at the time testified that he believes excessive force was used on floyd. he was the final witness called as part of a day where we really centered on what happened when medical help arrived on may of 2020 that day and the immediate aftermath. the moments when paramedics arrived and george floyd appeared unresponsive in may 2020 are coming into clearer focus. an audio played in court, derek chauvin is heard on the phone describing what had just happened. >> had to hold the guy down. he was -- was going crazy, wouldn't go in the back of the squad. >> reporter: he was talking to the supervising police sergeant at the time. >> do you have an opinion as to when the restraint of mr. floyd should have ended in this encounter? >> yes. >> what is it? >> when mr. floyd was no longer offer

that's where we'll find omar jimenez. the curfew is just kicking in. what are you seeing on the ground? >> reporter: that's right. we just hit that curfew time. usually what we've seen over the past few nights, this is day five. a few minutes after that is when the police begin to move in. this is what you see. you hear the music going in the background. you hear everybody here pressed up against the fence. this is in front of the brooklyn center police department. you see the umbrellas up against the fence. what is different this night versus previous nights. there is a section, basically, another layer of fencing. as opposed to before, they were right up on the fence and police began shooting flash bangs and other things over previous nights. now you have a little more separation. and while we've heard chants over the, could of the night, now it seems to be in some ways a quiet before the storm. the chants have gone down. we've heard the music still going. you see the umbrellas, the attitude has remained the same. they want police to know they are he

i want to get to omar jimenez live for us in minneapolis where he's been covering this story now since the very beginning. omar, good evening to you. you are in george floyd square, the site where he was murdered. it's become a memorial. what's it like tonight? >> reporter: yeah, don. a lot of today has been celebration, as you can imagine. right now in the cold minneapolis night hours, it is really reflection trying to look back and realize the magnitude of this actual moment. here at george floyd square, people have been coming in and quietly milling around the central fist that has now become the landmark here for this square, but also when you look down at some of the pictures and the faces that are around, you don't just see george floyd. you see faces of previous cases that add to why this moment is so significant. obviously you see dr. king's face, but as you go all the way around, you see faces like daunte wright. you see faces like breonna taylor, tamir rice, again, names that make a moment like this so much more significant because in many of these cases, police officers were