The trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin will be separate from the legal proceeding of three other former Minneapolis officers charged in the May 2020 death of George Floyd.
Chauvin's trial will begin March 8, while Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane will be tried together in a proceeding set to begin Aug. 23, KARE11.
Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd's death. Fellow former officers Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane are each charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder, as well as aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.
Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill's latest legal order makes it clear that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and space limitations, even in Hennepin County's largest courtroom, make it impossible to hold a trial for four defendants while complying with existing safety guidelines.