Image source, Getty Images

The list of potential witnesses in this case is a long one - some 400 all told, Judge Cahill has said in court.

So far, we're heard from three. Here's a quick look back at who they are, what role they played, and why they were called.

Who: Jena Scurry

Role: Police dispatcher

Why: Scurry directed authorities to Cup Foods after getting a call about a man trying to use a counterfeit bill - George Floyd. Scurry told prosecutors she became concerned while watching officers from her monitor.

"My instincts were telling me something was wrong," she said, adding that she thought her screen was frozen because of how long Derek Chauvin kept Floyd pinned to the ground.

Chauvin's defence pushed back, suggesting that Scurry could not have been able to focus fully on Floyd's arrest while in the middle of her work day.

Who: Alisha Oyler

Role: Worked across the street from where Floyd was arrested

Why: Oyler, 23, recorded several videos of Floyd being detained by police. In court yesterday she said she began filming because police are "always messing with people and it's wrong and it's not right".

Who: Donald Williams

Role: Martial arts trained fighter, witness to arrest

Why: Williams was just feet away from Chauvin as he detained Floyd. Responding to questions from prosecutors, Williams described Chauvin's hold on Floyd as a "blood choke", which he recognised from experience in martial arts. He described how Floyd said he could not breathe and gasped for air.

Today, the questioning of Williams will continue.

Melissa is a mixed-race resident of the Minneapolis-St Paul area and a mother of two. With the trial unfolding 'in her backyard', she is keeping a close eye on it and hopes to see some accountability.

How are you feeling as you watch this trial?

This trial is in our backyard, so I'm cautiously optimistic there will be some justice here.

There was rioting in St Paul [last year]. Buildings burned down. Businesses we frequented were permanently closed down. Our neighbourhood grocery store was raided. That was all very concerning, but my current concern is a fair trial.

I think there needs to be some level of accountability for Chauvin. I have a lot of respect for the police but I do think some officers - although rare - take advantage of their authority and go too far.

What did you make of the opening statements?

The defence is trying to make the case that the officer was just following his training. They are also saying there's no evidence of asphyxiation and that the actual cause of death was related to heart issues and drugs in his system.

He had pre-existing conditions that he lived with just fine until he was down on the ground with people on his back and neck for nine minutes, so I'm not sure it was those pre-existing conditions - and not the actions of the officers - that took his life.

What impact do you think this trial will have?

The United States as a country is much more aware of racial injustice and inequality for people of colour. We're much more "woke" than last year. That's been a big change and I think it's a permanent change in our culture.

I'm a bit concerned because we've been here before and I don't think things have gotten better in terms of the treatment of African Americans in the judicial system. I don't understand the nuances of the three different charges, but I hope Chauvin is found guilty of something because he needs to be held accountable for what he did.

Read more here:

Americans react to Day One of the Chauvin trial

Image source, CBS

On the first day of the trial, Chauvin’s defence team indicated they will argue that Floyd died of a drug overdose. They will point to the toxicology report that shows Floyd had drugs in his system as evidence that it was not Chauvin's actions that killed him.

The local medical examiner declared Floyd's death a homicide, caused by "cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression". Cardiopulmonary arrest refers to heart failure.

Chauvin never spoke to his bosses about what happened, and was fired one day after Floyd’s death.

So his defence arguments, which are not due to begin for two weeks, will be the first time that we hear Chauvin’s perspective on that day.

According to US media, Chauvin had agreed to a plea deal that would have landed him in jail for at least 10 years. The deal was later rejected by federal prosecutors.

Read more:

The man accused of killing George Floyd

George Floyd's death ignited protests the world over - prompting weeks of demonstrations and calls for racial justice last summer.

Here's what those looked like.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Lawyers on both sides have said they'll focus on the facts. And the first day of testimony featured detailed breakdowns of the night George Floyd died.

Here's a breakdown of how that hour unfolded:

20:01 - The store’s teenage employee calls 911, after believing Floyd used a counterfeit bill. He says Floyd appears “drunk” and “not in control of himself”

20:08 - Two police officers arrive. Floyd is sitting in a car parked around the corner with two other people. Officer Thomas Lane approaches the car. Floyd appears to be co-operative at first. Lane asks Floyd to show his hands at least 10 times before ordering him out of the vehicle. Lane, gun drawn, then pulls Floyd out of the car, according to prosecutors.

A struggle between officers and Floyd ensues when they try to move him into a squad car.

20:14 - Floyd falls to the ground, telling the police he is “claustrophobic”. This is when Officer Derek Chauvin arrives on scene.20:19 - Chauvin pulls Floyd away from the car, and Floyd falls down. As Floyd lies face down, in handcuffs, Chauvin places his left knee between Floyd’s head and neck. For over nine minutes, according to prosecutors, he keeps it there, even as Floyd says he cannot breathe.

20:27 - Chauvin removes his knee from Floyd’s neck. Floyd is motionless and moved onto a gurney.

Image source, Court TV

Derek Chauvin has been charged with second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Second-degree murder, the most serious charge, will require prosecutors to prove that Chauvin was assaulting Floyd when he caused his death. Chauvin faces between 10-15 years if convicted on this count.

To convict on a charge third-degree murder, the jury must be convinced that Chauvin showed a reckless disregard for human life.

And for the final charge - second-degree manslaughter - prosecutors will try to demonstrate that Chauvin took an “unreasonable risk” when he restrained Floyd, putting him at risk of death or serious harm.

With the manslaughter charge, prosecutors do not need prove Chauvin actually caused Floyd’s death. The sentence for manslaughter is between three to five years.

Image source, Getty Images

In a couple of hours, day two of Derek Chauvin's trial will begin.

But before it does, here's a quick catch-up of day one.

• Revealing new footage, the prosecution used its opening statement to argue that Derek Chauvin knelt on George Floyd's neck for over nine minutes and that this was a "major cause in Floyd's death"

• Prosecutor Jerry Blackwell told the jury that Chauvin "betrayed his badge" by kneeling on Floyd's neck, using "excessive and unreasonable force" to detain him

• Meanwhile, Chauvin’s lawyer, Eric Nelson, told the jury that this case is about the evidence, not about a "political or social cause"
• Nelson said Floyd ingested drugs at the time of his arrest "in an effort to conceal them from police". This, Nelson suggested, contributed to Floyd’s death
• The state has called three witnesses, who were questioned by the defence and prosecution
• One witness, Donald Williams, described Floyd as dying “like a fish in a bag” - graphic testimony that drew a rebuke from the judge

Today, we expect the court will hear from Williams after technical difficulties cut questioning short last night.

Image source, Getty Images

It began with a pack of cigarettes. George Floyd, 46, bought them at a convenience store in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on 25 May 2020.

A shop assistant believed he used a counterfeit bill and called the police after Floyd refused to give the cigarettes back.

Officers arrived and handcuffed him, but when they tried to put him into the squad car he resisted, and a struggle ended with Floyd face-down on the street.

Officer Derek Chauvin, then 44, placed his left knee between Floyd's head and neck, and kept it there for eight minutes and 46 seconds, according to prosecutors.

Two other officers helped pin him down, while another prevented witnesses from intervening.

Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times. Video of the incident shows him go limp and get carried away by police.

He was pronounced dead in hospital an hour later.

Read the full story.

Good morning.

The trial resumes today at 09:30 local time (15:30 BST). We will be livestreaming it here on this page.

Before it begins, we will look back at what happened on day one.

The prosecution will continue to question witnesses this morning.

Thank you for following BBC's live coverage of the first day of the Derek Chauvin trial. The court is adjourned until tomorrow - Tuesday, 30 March at 09:30 local time.

We will return with more reporting and analysis as the case continues.

Today's page was brought to you by Max Matza, Holly Honderich, Sam Cabral and Josh Nevett, edited by Marianna Brady and Boer Deng.

Tara McKelvey
BBC News, Washington

Police cars were everywhere today.

One of them, shown here parked on Nicollet Mall - a few blocks from the courthouse - was a reminder of the important role that law enforcement plays.

Here and throughout the state, people who care about the police force have been thinking about issues the trial has raised.

One former officer, Richard Pukema, who has served as a Douglas County sheriff, told me he hopes officers will look closely at their tactics, and learn from the story that is unfolding in the courtroom.

“You have the right to use force,” he says. “But once you have enough to provide for your personal safety, there’s no longer a need for more.”

He hopes that officers will draw lessons from the trial, and understand the powers, and the limits, of their jobs in the community.

Samantha Granville
BBC News, Minneapolis

Image source, Getty Images

Each morning the jury will gather to start at 9:30 local time. They meet at an undisclosed location and travel to the court house together. There will be a mid-morning break and a mid afternoon break, with court adjourning in the late afternoon or early evening each day.

The jurors are allowed water and coffee in the courtroom, but no food.

The court will take their lunch orders everyday, as it will be provided.

As for technology- nothing is allowed in the court room, but jurors are allowed to use social media when at home and court is not in session.

However, they cannot look at articles, read tweets or look at pictures of the court.

Judge Peter Cahill has said jurors are allowed to tell their immediate family members that they are on this trial, as they will have probably have put two and two together by this point, but to everyone outside their household, they can only tell people they are sitting on a criminal case.

At this point the jury will not be sequestered - that is, kept in isolation - but this could change.

Image source, Court TV

A gripping day of witness testimony and opening arguments has come to a close in Minneapolis.

This is what we learned on day one of Chauvin’s trial.

• The prosecution revealed new footage and used its opening statement to argue that Derek Chauvin knelt on George Floyd's neck for over nine minutes and that this was a "major cause in Floyd's death"
• The defence will seek to show that there were external factors that led to death
• Jurors were shown video footage that captured the final moments of Floyd’s life - a key part of the prosecution’s case
• Prosecutor Jerry Blackwell told the jury that Chauvin "betrayed his badge" by kneeling on Floyd's neck, using "excessive and unreasonable force" to detain him

• In contrast, Chauvin’s lawyer, Eric Nelson, told the jury that this case is about the evidence, not about a "political or social cause"
• Nelson said Floyd ingested drugs at the time of his arrest "in an effort to conceal them from police". This, Nelson suggested, contributed to Floyd’s death
• The state has called three witnesses, who were cross-examined by the defence and prosecution
• One witness, Donald Williams, described Floyd as dying “like a fish in a bag” - graphic testimony that drew a rebuke from the judge
• The court is adjourned until tomorrow, when the defence will get a chance to question Williams

Image source, Reuters

The death of George Floyd pushed millions of Americans onto the streets in protest.

Nine months later, the demands of those protestors have largely failed to materialise.

The loudest cries were calls to defund the police and shift money toward social services.

Amid relentless pressure from activists, in December, the Minneapolis City Council redirected $8m (£5.8m) of the city budget from the police department to mental health, violence prevention and other programmes.

But some 200 officers have quit since Floyd’s death and crime is on a sharp upward trajectory. Last month, the council voted unanimously to spend more than $6m on recruiting more officers.

And, in the US Congress, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act - legislation which bans controversial police tactics and eases the path for lawsuits against officers - faces an unlikely path forward for a second time.

Read more: A city pledged to abolish its police. Then what?

Gary O'Donoghue
BBC News, Minneapolis

The first day of one of the most anticipated trials in recent years has just wound up - and more days are to come.

Television crews from around the world are in Minneapolis to chronicle America’s unresolved racial history once again.

Tension is high, and the barriers and barbed wire around the court are testament to the powder keg atmosphere. In strict terms, what has to be decided is whether former police officer, Derek Chauvin, was substantially responsible for George Floyd’s death.

But for the Floyd family, and for millions of African Americans, this is also about this society’s willingness examine how another black man ended up dead after encountering the police – in this case, over the alleged attempt to buy cigarettes with a fake twenty dollar bill.

This is the 21st Century – and so video evidence will be central to the arguments. In particular that nine minutes and 29 seconds the prosecution say ended Floyd’s life.

But juries have been reluctant in the past to convict police officers and proof beyond reasonable doubt with an unanimous decision is a high bar.

For the next four weeks, every second of Floyd’s last moments will be scrutinised – but the verdict will have repercussions for years to come.

Just as the third state's witness Donald Williams is giving gripping testimony drawing on his experience in martial arts - he tells the court he believes Chauvin put Floyd in a 'blood choke' that could be lethal, and is warned by the judge not to opine when he has not been asked to do so - the court is forced to adjourn.

A technical glitch has cut the feed, so the jury is dismissed until 09:30 local time tomorrow.

The questioning of Williams is paused for a moment while the prosecutor asks him to identity Chauvin as the officer who placed his knee on Floyd's neck.

"From that vantage point, depicted in exhibit 17, that officer, do you see that person present in the courtroom?" the prosecutor asks.

As the question is asked, Chauvin stands up, takes his mask off and briefly glances at the witness.

Meanwhile, in reply to the question, Williams says: "That's correct, he's standing right there."

The prosecutor then asks for the record to reflect that Williams has identified the defendant.

The witness currently testifying previously spoke to the BBC about what he saw on 25 May, 2020.

Williams said he saw several police cars as he pulled up to Cup Foods, a shop that officers were called to before Floyd’s arrest.

“I was like huh. Police are up here, there must be some things going on,” he said.

He said, to him, it seemed like Floyd was “not resisting” arrest.

“And then I notice the position of how his [Chauvin’s] knee is on George Floyd’s neck,” he said. "His nose is bleeding, so I proceeded to ask the police officer, ‘what’s going on?’.

“And the officer proceeded to say, ‘this is what drugs do to you’.”

You can see the full interview by watching the video below.

Williams is now giving detailed and harrowing descriptions of the last moments of Floyd's life.

The witness was so close he could look into Chauvin's eyes and have a conversation with the officers, whom he said should check Floyd's pulse.

The details are brutal and gripping. Williams tells the court that he could see Floyd's life slipping away.

"He's slowly fading away like a fish in a bag," Williams says. "His eyes slowly rolled to the back of his head" until "he didn't have no life in him no more in his body," he says.

Williams is being questioned by the prosecutor about his day as he drove up to the Cup Foods shop and later witnessed the Floyd arrest.

A surveillance photo of Williams walking is shown, and he is asked what was happening.

The witness discloses that he had planned on going into the shop, but decided not to - because, as he put it - 'the energy was off'.

He is asked: what did he mean?

"I heard another voice saying 'you should let him up'," Williams says, and other voices of concern, and it led him to stay outside and walk up to the scene of Floyd's arrest.