Pig’s head thrown at former residence of Derek Chauvin defence witness who claimed use of force was justified

Police suggest ‘suspects in this vandalism were targeting’ Barry Brodd for his testimony

A pig’s head has been thrown at the former home of a defence witness in the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.

The incident occured in the early hours of Saturday morning in Santa Rosa, California, at a residence that defence witness and use of force expert Barry Brodd used to live in.

A person who resides at the house found the pig’s head on the front porch, and the area around it was splattered with blood. The police said that people dressed in black fled the scene as the person called the authorities.

The Santa Rosa Police Department issued a statement on Saturday saying that it appeared that the suspects were targeting Mr Brodd for his testimony in the trial.

However, they confirmed that the vandals appeared to target the wrong house, as Mr Brodd has not lived in that residence or even the state of California for years.

The vandalism has been deemed a felony by local police as the damage to the victim’s home exceeds $400 (£288).

Mr Brodd, a retired police officer, testified in Mr Chauvin’s trial last week that the former officer was justified in his use of force during the arrest of unarmed Black man George Floyd last May.

He said that Mr Chuavin’s decision to pin Mr Floyd was justified as he was struggling instead of “resting comfortably”, adding: “That isn’t an incident of deadly force. That’s an incident of an accidental death.”

Vandalised house in Santa Rosa ((Santa Rosa Police Department))

Mr Floyd died on 25 May 2020 after Mr Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes, as he repeatedly said he could not breathe. The incident sparked protests in every state across the US in opposition to police brutality against Black Americans.

Mr Chauvin was then charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter, with his trial starting late last month.

Santa Rosa Police Chief Rainer Navarro said last week in a statement that Mr Brodd’s testimony did not “reflect the values and beliefs of the Santa Rosa Police Department.”

Vandalised statue in Santa Rosa ((Santa Rosa Police Department))

Less than an hour after the vandalism on Saturday, a large statue of a hand was found in front of the Santa Rosa Plaza mall vandalised with suspected animal blood.

The suspects in the incident also left a sign in front of the statue that included a picture of a pig and the words “Oink Oink.”

Closing arguments are expected to be delivered by both the prosecution and defence today in Mr Chauvin’s trial ahead of the jury being sequestered to decide on the verdict.