“It’s clear from the number of officers and Mr. Floyd’s position and the fact that he’s handcuffed and has been searched, he doesn’t present a threat of harm.”
Dr. Martin Tobin told the jury the officers made it harder for Floyd to breathe when they pushed the handcuffs into his back and raised his wrists higher as he lay on the street.
“I’m not sure yet if this is going to create a paradigm shift within the institution of policing or if this is just being seen as an isolated incident.”
By Steve Inskeep/NPR Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo said that he believes Chauvin’s actions last May 25 violated the police department’s policies on de-escalation, reasonable use of force and rendering aid.
“It would be reasonable to put a knee on someone’s neck until they were not resisting anymore, but it should stop when they are no longer combative.”
In video footage played for the court, Genevieve Hansen could be heard demanding that the officers check his pulse.
The trial is starting in earnest 10 months after George Floyd’s killing triggered outrage and protests against racial inequality across the United States.
Police body camera footage of the encounter sparked outrage and fresh scrutiny of how police treat people in distress.
