MINNEAPOLIS, US: Minneapolis residents braced for the opening on Monday of what is sure to be one of the nation's most closely watched trials in years -- that of the white policeman charged with killing George Floyd, a Black man whose dying struggles were captured on a video seen around the world.

Jury selection begins at 8am (9pm in Thailand), though final debates over the exact charges against Derek Chauvin -- the now former city officer who used his knee to pin a pleading, gasping Floyd by the neck to the pavement for nearly nine minutes -- could yet delay the proceedings.

For now, Chauvin is facing second-degree murder and manslaughter charges. He has been released on bail and will appear in court.

Floyd's death laid bare already sore racial wounds in the United States, sparking months of sometimes violent protests against racial injustice and police brutality, both in the US and abroad.

Lawyers for both sides face the difficult task of finding jurors who, in the intensely publicized case, have not already made up their minds about Chauvin's guilt.

The process is expected to take up to three weeks, with arguments slated to begin on March 29.

Minneapolis braces for trial of officer charged in George Floyd's death