Opening statements to begin in fed trial of former cops charged in George Floyd's death

Opening statements are set to begin on Monday in the federal trial of three former Minnesota police officers charged with violating the civil rights of George Floyd.

Opening statements are set to begin on Monday in the federal trial of three former Minnesota police officers charged with violating the civil rights of George Floyd during a 2020 arrest that led to his death and prompted nationwide protests.

Fired Minneapolis police officers J. Alexander Kueng, 28, Thomas Lane, 38, and Tou Thao, 35, are fighting charges stemming from their alleged roles in the deadly confrontation with the 46-year-old Black man who their one-time senior officer, Derek Chauvin, was convicted of murdering.

The trial, expected to last at least two weeks, is being held at the Warren E. Burger Federal Building in St. Paul.

Attorneys for the Floyd family released a statement saying the trial is "another milestone in the long, slow journey to justice for George Floyd and his family."