January 1, George Floyd: Federal Trial of Three Minnesota Cops Underway

The trial of three former Minneapolis police officers charged with violating George Floyd’s civil rights is underway.

Federal prosecutors accused the men of standing by as fellow Officer Derek Chauvin “slowly killed George Floyd right in front of them.”

However, one defense attorney argued that Chauvin called “all of the shots” as the senior officer at the scene and criticized the Minneapolis Police Department for neglecting to train officers to intervene when a colleague should be stopped.

Former Officers J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao are charged with depriving Floyd of his civil rights while acting under government authority.

Video of the incident shows that Kueng knelt on Floyd’s back, and Lane held down his legs while Thao prevented bystanders from intervening.

Chauvin was convicted of murder and manslaughter in a Minnesota court last year.

“For second after second, minute after minute, these three CPR-trained defendants stood or knelt next to Officer Chauvin as he slowly killed George Floyd right in front of them,” federal prosecutor Samantha Trepel said during opening statements.

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Source:

Defense: Chauvin called ‘all of the shot’ when Floyd killed