George Floyd ‘asked for help with his very last breath’, prosecutor tells jury in closing arguments
On Monday, a prosecutor urged jurors to convict the white former Minneapolis police officer accused of killing George Floyd, saying the death of the 46-year-old black man, which was captured on video, was a “shocking abuse of authority.” “This case is exactly what you thought when you saw it first when you saw that video,” Steve Schleicher said in closing arguments at the high-profile murder trial of Derek Chauvin.
Use your common sense,” the prosecutor told the jury.
“What you saw, you saw,” Mr. Schleicher said.
You can believe your eyes.
“It’s exactly what you knew; it’s what you felt in your gut; it’s what you now know in your heart.”
Mr. Chauvin, 45, is charged with murder and manslaughter over Mr. Floyd’s 25 May 2020 death, which sparked protests against racial injustice worldwide and is seen as a landmark test of police accountability.
Mr. Chauvin was captured on video kneeling on the neck of Mr. Floyd, who was pinned facedown and handcuffed on the ground for more than nine minutes, complaining, “I can’t breathe.”
This wasn’t policing; this was murder,” Mr. Schleicher said.
“Nine minutes and 29 seconds of shocking abuse of authority.
“The defendant is guilty of all three counts. And there’s no excuse.”
“George Floyd was not a threat to anyone,” Mr. Schleicher said. Mr. Floyd “asked for help with his last breath,” the prosecutor said, but Mr. Chauvin did not assist. “He didn’t follow the training; he did not follow the department’s use of force rules; he did not perform CPR.”
He was not trying to hurt anyone.
Derek Chauvin, a 19-year veteran of the Minneapolis Police Department, faces a maximum of 40 years in prison if convicted of the most serious charge – second-degree murder.
His trial has coincided with rising tensions from two other high-profile police killings.
Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old black man, was shot dead in a Minneapolis suburb on 11 April by a white policewoman who mistook her gun for her Taser, and a 13-year-old boy was killed by police in Chicago. Mr. Wright’s killing triggered several nights of protests in Minneapolis. National Guard troops have been deployed in Minnesota, where shop windows have been boarded up.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki was asked during her daily briefing about the level of preparedness ahead of the verdict. “We are in touch with local authorities; we are in touch with states, governors, and mayors,” Ms. Psaki said. “We will continue to encourage peaceful protests, but we’re not going to get ahead of the verdict.”
