George Floyd: First 3 jurors for Derek Chauvin trial chosen

Flowers are seen outside the church where George Floyd's funeral is held in Houston, Texas, the United States, on June 9, 2020. The funeral of African American George Floyd was held Tuesday in the southern U.S. city of Houston, where he was brought up and spent most of his life, two weeks after his tragic death in police custody in Minneapolis. (Photo by Chengyue Lao/Xinhua)

Two men and one woman were selected on Tuesday for the 12-member jury for the highly anticipated trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is accused of second-degree unintentional murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd on May 25 last year.

The first selected juror is a chemist in his 20s or 30s, who acknowledged being familiar with the media coverage surrounding Floyd's death. The second juror, a biracial woman in her 20s, said she has watched the video of Chauvin holding down Floyd with his knee as Floyd said he couldn't breathe. The third juror, an auditor, said that he would also examine guilt or innocence only from what is presented in the trial.

All three swore to keep an open mind and weigh all the proof presented in determining the outcome of the high-profile case.

Twenty-two potential jurors were dismissed for alleged bias or for fear of retaliation for their involvement with the case.

Videos show that Chauvin, who is white, kept his knee on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes before he died. The case has sparked nationwide demonstrations and outcries and prompted the House to pass a police reform bill that would ban chokeholds and overhaul qualified immunity protections for officers in March 2021.

If convicted, Chauvin would face a maximum sentence of 40 years.

A Minneapolis judge delayed the start of the trial until Tuesday morning after an appeals court ordered him to weigh again the reinstatement of the third-degree murder charge for Floyd's death.