Derek Chauvin is on trial for George Floyd's death

By Melissa Macaya, Melissa Mahtani, Meg Wagner, Veronica Rocha and Fernando Alfonso III, CNN

Updated 0254 GMT (1054 HKT) April 2, 2021
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5:35 p.m. ET, April 1, 2021

Retired police sergeant says Chauvin told him that Floyd had suffered "a medical emergency"

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Retired Sgt. David Pleoger of the Minneapolis Police Department testified today about a phone call he had with former police officer Derek Chauvin on May 25, 2020, after Chauvin kneeled on George Floyd's neck.

Pleoger said he has known Chauvin since about 2008.

"I believe he told me that they had — tried to put Mr. Floyd — I didn't know his name at the time, Mr. Floyd into the car. He had become combative," Pleoger said recalling the conversation he had with Chauvin that day.

"I think he mentioned that he had injured — either his nose or his mouth, a bloody lip, I think, and eventually after struggling with him, he suffered a medical emergency and an ambulance was called and they headed out of the scene," Pleoger continued.

Watch here:

4:46 p.m. ET, April 1, 2021

Former Minneapolis Police shift supervisor is now testifying

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Pool

Retired Sgt. David Pleoger, a former shift supervisor with the Minneapolis Police Department, is being questioned right now by prosecutors.

3:54 p.m. ET, April 1, 2021

The court is on its afternoon break

Judge Peter Cahill just announced that the court would take a 20-minute afternoon break in the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin.

The trial is set to resume in 20 minutes, around 4:10 p.m. ET.

Today marks the fourth day of witness testimony in the trial.

4:37 p.m. ET, April 1, 2021

Fire captain said he saw "an unresponsive body on a cot" upon arriving at ambulance

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Pool

Capt. Jeremy Norton of the Minneapolis Fire Department testified about what he saw when entering the ambulance which contained George Floyd in May 2020.

"He was an unresponsive body on a cot," Norton testified today in the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin.

After following the ambulance to the hospital, Norton said he ultimately filed a report with his supervisors detailing what he saw that day.

"I was aware that a man had been killed in police custody, and I wanted to notify my supervisors to notify the appropriate people above us in the city, in the fire department and whomever else, and then I also wanted to inform my deputy that there was an off-duty firefighter, who was a witness at the scene," he added.

Watch here:

3:29 p.m. ET, April 1, 2021

Paramedic describes what he saw when approaching Floyd at the scene: "I thought he was dead"

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Pool

Paramedic Derek Smith is testifying now in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who is charged in the death of George Floyd.

Smith testified that on May 25, 2020, he arrived on the scene, and saw Floyd on the ground and three officers on top of him.

"I walked up to the individual, noticed he wasn't moving. I didn't see any chest rise or fall on this individual," Smith said.

When asked to describe Floyd's overall condition he said, "in lay terms, I thought he was dead."

Smith said that when he checked Floyd, his pupils were "large" and "dilated," and he did not detect a pulse.

He said he did all he could do to try and revive Floyd.

"[H]e's a human being and I was trying to give him a second chance at life," Smith said.

Smith is the second paramedic to testify today. Paramedic Seth Zachary Bravinder, who also provided medical assistance to Floyd, said that when he arrived at the scene, he could tell from a distance that Floyd wasn't breathing.

Watch here:

2:35 p.m. ET, April 1, 2021

What's happened so far today in the Chauvin trial

Witness testimony has resumed in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who is charged in the death of George Floyd.

Earlier today, jurors heard testimony from Floyd's girlfriend and a Minneapolis paramedic who provided medical aid to Floyd.

If you're just reading in, here's what's happened today in court:

Courteney Ross, Floyd’s girlfriend, testified she has been in a relationship with him since August 2017 and they were together until his death. Ross, who was the 13th witness for the prosecution, provided details about Floyd and their relationship. She described Floyd as "a momma's boy," saying he was devastated and "broken" when his mother died. Ross said he tested positive for Covid-19 in "late March" and that he had been quarantining. She added that his roommates also had Covid-19. 

Ross testified that they both struggled with opioid addiction. Prosecutors were the first to ask about opioid use during the trial to get ahead of some of the defense team's arguments. Defense attorneys plan to make the case that Floyd died of unrelated medical issues and drug use, and they have argued Chauvin was following proper police protocol.

Paramedic Seth Zachary Bravinder, who provided medical assistance to George Floyd, told the court that when he arrived at the scene, he could tell from a distance that Floyd wasn't breathing. He also said he stopped the ambulance en route to the hospital so he could assist his partner in giving Floyd aid after he "flatlined" — a term he used to describe when "your heart isn't really doing anything at that moment."

Witness to invoke the Fifth Amendment: The man who was sitting in a car with George Floyd when police approached and removed them from the vehicle says he will not testify in the trial. Morries Hall will invoke the Fifth Amendment and not testify if he is called to the stand, according to a filing submitted by his public defender Adrienne Cousins.

1:37 p.m. ET, April 1, 2021

The court is in a lunch break

The jury is now taking a one hour lunch recess.

Paramedic Seth Zachary Bravinder, who provided medical assistance to George Floyd, testified before the break.

He told the court that when he arrived at the scene, he could tell from a distance that Floyd wasn't breathing.

He also said he stopped the ambulance en route to the hospital so he could assist his partner in giving Floyd aid after he "flatlined" — a term he used to describe when "your heart isn't really doing anything at that moment."

12:54 p.m. ET, April 1, 2021

Paramedic says cardiac monitor showed Floyd "flatlined" on the way to the hospital

A paramedic who responded to help George Floyd after former officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck said that on the way to a hospital, he stopped the ambulance so he could assist his partner in giving Floyd aid.

Seth Zachary Bravinder, a paramedic in Minneapolis, said that after he stopped the ambulance, he realized Floyd has "flatlined."

"I remember walking in and the cardiac monitor was showing asystole," Bravinder said.

He explained that asystole is the medical term for "flatlined" — "basically tells us your heart isn't really doing anything at that moment."

"It's not a good sign," Bravinder added. "Basically just because your heart isn't doing anything at that moment. There's not — it's not pumping blood. So it's not — it's not a good sign for a good outcome."

12:56 p.m. ET, April 1, 2021

Paramedic who responded to scene says he could tell from a distance that Floyd wasn't breathing

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Pool

Paramedic Seth Zachary Bravinder, who provided medical assistance to George Floyd, testified that from a distance, he could tell Floyd wasn't breathing.

After arriving to the scene, he got out from the ambulance and headed to the back, and said "from what I could see where I was at I didn't — I didn't see any breathing or movement or anything like that."

Asked if Floyd appeared unresponsive, Bravinder said, "from what I could tell just standing from a distance, yes."

Bravinder said that he had his hands near Floyd's head to prevent it "from slamming down on the pavement" as they moved him unto a stretcher and into the ambulance.

The paramedic described Floyd's state and head when he was being transferred.

"I guess limp would be the best description. He wasn't — he was unresponsive and wasn't holding his head up or anything like that," Bravinder said.