[ad_1]
An American police officer accused of murdering George Floyd, the 46-year-old African American whose death in May sparked protests across the country, appeared in court for the first time on Friday, along with three other officers implicated in the murder.
As dozens of protesters outside the Family Justice Center in Minneapolis demanded justice, the four officers sought separate trials in the case, as court documents showed each was seeking to blame the others for Floyd’s death.
Derek Chauvin, charged with second- and third-degree murder and manslaughter after being filmed pressing his knee to Floyd’s neck until he died, claims that a fentanyl overdose was the cause of death and charged two other officers with not correctly assess Floyd’s condition.
Prosecutors dismissed the overdose claim as “ridiculous” and said the four – Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao – should be tried together based on “substantial evidence” that they “worked closely together” when Floyd was killed. . .
– ‘Brutal and dehumanizing’ murder –
Floyd’s death on May 25 became symbolic of what many say is systemic racism and police abuse of African Americans, sparking protests across the country that continue under the banner of “Black Lives Matter.” .
Prosecutors say Floyd’s death was “cruel, brutal and dehumanizing.” He had been arrested for allegedly using a counterfeit $ 20 bill.
All four defendants say the decision to immobilize Floyd, who was handcuffed and restrained by two of the officers while he was under Chauvin’s knee, was reasonably justified.
All of the officers were fired a day after Floyd’s death, reflecting the growing seriousness with which American cities are beginning to take allegations of police abuse.
Lane, Kueng and Thao face charges of complicity in second degree murder and manslaughter.
District Court Judge Peter Cahill rejected a defense attorney’s move to present evidence at trial that during a May 2019 arrest in Texas, Floyd ingested drugs to avoid being charged.
The defense suggests, but has not released evidence, that Floyd did the same in the May 25, 2020 incident.
– “Black Lives Matter” –
Protesters gathered outside the courthouse in downtown Minneapolis before the hearing, chanting “George Floyd!” and carrying signs and a large banner that read “Black Lives Matter.”
The hearing focused on the difficulty of providing a safe and fair jury trial, scheduled to begin in March 2021, given the massive publicity of the case, which has sparked opinions on both the right and left sides of the political spectrum.
As the defendants, their attorneys, and prosecutors wore security masks, the court debated how to seat a jury given the threat from Covid-19, and what defense attorneys said are constant threats over the phone and social media that could poison a fair trial.
Jury selection typically involves parading dozens of candidates through a courtroom for attorneys on both sides to question them live to determine if they are already biased.
Cahill proposed sending questionnaires to prospective jurors in their homes.
But defense attorneys said he runs the risk that they may search the Internet for the case and form opinions before answering questions.
Meanwhile, the judge postponed, for now, a motion by defense attorneys to move the case to another jurisdiction, saying a fair trial in Minneapolis was impossible.
After the hearing, Ben Crump, attorney for Floyd’s family, accused the defendants of resorting to tactics of smearing Floyd’s image to justify his death.
It’s “a blatant attempt to kill George Floyd a second time – they kill a person and then they murder their character,” Crump said.
“The only overdose that killed George Floyd was an overdose of excessive force and racism by the Minneapolis Police Department,” he said. / AFP
