Derek Chauvin guilty on all counts in death of George Floyd
The former officer was found responsible for the May 2020 death of Floyd.
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all three counts in the death of George Floyd.
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- Apr 20, 2021, 5:20 PM EDT
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George Floyd is not the one on trial, state says
Schleicher reminded the jury that Floyd is not the defendant in the case, pointing to the testimony that characterized Floyd as having a drug addiction and the accusation that he used a fake $20 bill in the Cup Foods, which prompted the 911 call that brought Chauvin to the scene.
"But he is not on trial," Schleicher. "He didn't get a trial when he was alive, and he is not on trial here."
Schleicher also dismissed claims the defense made that Floyd was noncompliant and resisting arrest, stating that Floyd followed commands to put his hands on the steering wheel upon his first encounter with Minnesota Police officers.
"That is not resistance," Schleicher said. "That is compliance."
'This is not a prosecution of the police,' prosecutor says
Schleicher made "very clear" that the state was prosecuting Derek Chauvin, not the Minneapolis Police Department, calling policing a "most noble profession."
"This case is called the State of Minnesota versus Derek Chauvin," Schleicher said. "This case isn’t called the State of Minnesota versus the police."
Schleicher also said that Chauvin is not on trial for who he was, a police officer, but for "what he did," pointing to the multiple witnesses on the scene who felt compelled to call the police on the police."
He accused Chauvin of abandoning his values and training.
"He did not follow the department's use of force rules," Schleicher said. "He did not perform CPR. He knew better. He just didn't do better."
Floyd’s last words were 'Please. I can’t breathe.': Prosecutor
Schleicher emphasized to the jury that Floyd’s last words were to plead with Chauvin.
"Floyd’s final words were, 'Please. I can’t breathe,'" Schleicher said. "He said those words to the defendant. He asked for help with his very last breathe."
Rather than help, Chauvin "continued to push him down, to grind his knees, to twist his hand and twist his fingers into the handcuffs that bound him," Schleicher said.