| April 6, 2021 Tonight will be mostly cloudy, with rain showers and chance of thunderstorms. Lows in the 30s north, to mid 40s to mid 50s south. Tomorrow will be mostly cloudy. Rain showers and chance of thunderstorms. Highs will be in the mid 40s to mid 50s northwest, to 60s southeast. Get the latest from Updraft. The murder and manslaughter trial of Derek Chauvin is moving into a new phase, with prosecutors bringing in Minneapolis police trainers and other experts to address the restraint used by police on George Floyd in the minutes before he died last May. This week Minneapolis police department leaders have testified that the former officer did not follow his training when he pinned Floyd down. Prosecutor Steve Schleicher displayed a photo of Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck Tuesday and asked Minneapolis police lieutenant Johnny Mercil whether Chauvin was using an approved use of force. Mercil testified that officers had been allowed to use neck restraints, but only if a person is actively resisting arrest.
After Floyd's killing, the Minneapolis Police Department banned neck restraints as part of an agreement with the state.
Meanwhile, members of Floyd's family and civil rights activists gathered outside the Hennepin County Government Center in downtown Minneapolis. The Rev. Al Sharpton led a prayer, as the prosecution enters the final phase of its case, and the defense prepares to make its case.
In COVID-19 news today, cases continue to climb in Minnesota, with an average of more than 15,000 active, confirmed cases over the last week. While officials have cautioned not to read too much into the past couple of days of data, they remain increasingly concerned that the disease is on the march down the wrong path. “We’re definitely not out of the woods yet,” Minnesota Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm told reporters Tuesday, noting that the seven-day positive test rate for the disease is back up at 6 percent. A 5 percent rate is a warning sign of growing spread. Thanks to vaccinations, Minnesota likely won’t see as severe a spike in cases as it saw in November and December — but the pandemic isn’t over, Malcolm said.
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