Jury selection paused in trial of ex-policeman charged over George Floyd death

A demonstrator holds up a Black Lives Matter flag outside the Hennepin County Government Centre in Minneapolis, where the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin began with jury selection (Jim Mon/AP)

The judge overseeing the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer accused over the death of George Floyd has paused jury selection for at least a day while an appeal proceeds over the possible reinstatement of a third-degree murder charge.

As hundreds of protesters gathered outside the courthouse to call for the conviction of Derek Chauvin, Judge Peter Cahill said he does not have jurisdiction to rule on whether the third-degree murder charge should be reinstated against the former officer while the issue is being challenged.