In week 2, how Derek Chauvin’s trial proves to be different from all other police trials

Pulmonologist Dr. Martin Tobin testified this morning in the trial against former Minneapolis police officer Dereck Chauvin, the man accused of killing George Floyd. He said, “Mr. Floyd died from a low level of oxygen. And this caused damage to his brain that we see, and it also caused a PEA [pulseless electrical activity] arrhythmia that caused his heart to stop.”

Tobin was one of the many experts who the persecution called this week.

On Monday, they called Minneapolis Chief of Police Medaria Arradondo. He said Chauvin’s actions violated department policy: “Clearly when Mr. Floyd was no longer responsive and even motionless to continue to apply that level of force … that in no way shape or form is anything that is not by policy, not part of our training, and it’s certainly not part of our ethics or values.”

Prosecutors also called Dr. Bradford Langenfeld, the emergency room doctor who treated Floyd and later pronounced him dead. Langenfeld said Floyd died of oxygen deficiency.

Roland Martin, journalist and host of Roland Martin Unfiltered, joins KCRW to recap what the public has heard so far this week

“You rarely have a police officer testify against another police officer. The prosecution is doing a great job of blunting the defense at every turn,” says Martin.