Officers Should Have Stopped Derek Chauvin: Witness

SAINT PAUL, MN — It was the duty of the three other Minneapolis police officers at the scene to stop Derek Chauvin's use of excessive force over George Floyd, according to a witness called to testify in the federal trial Thursday.

Inspector Katie Blackwell, who was the commander of the Minneapolis police training division when Floyd was killed on Memorial Day 2020, told the court that all Minneapolis officers are required to de-escalate a situation, stop using force once a person is not resisting, and provide any necessary aid.

Officers should also intervene against inappropriate use of force, Blackwell said. All four cops were fired the day after Floyd's death.

Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao face civil rights violations in Floyd's death, including denying Floyd medical aid. Former officer Chauvin was also charged, but he pleaded guilty in December and will not have to stand trial.

The three-count federal indictment in the death of Floyd claims that the four men — acting in their capacity as police officers — "willfully deprived Mr. Floyd of his constitutional rights."

Their actions resulted in Floyd's death, the indictment states.

In their opening statements on Monday, prosecutors accused Kueng, Lane, and Thao of simply standing by as Chauvin "slowly killed George Floyd right in front of them."

On May 25, 2020, Chauvin was recorded kneeling on Floyd for more than nine minutes, despite Floyd's protests that he could not breathe.

Last year, Chauvin was convicted of murder in the state court system in Floyd's death. He was sentenced to over 22 years in prison.

Kueng, Lane, and Thao still face charges of aiding and abetting unintentional second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in the Minnesota state court system.

Federal indictment

Count one

Count one specifically notes that Chauvin held his left knee on Floyd's neck — and his right knee on Floyd's back and arm — while Floyd was handcuffed and not resisting. Chauvin kept his knees on Floyd's body even after he became unresponsive, the count states.

The indictment claims that Chauvin's actions violated Floyd's constitutional right to be free from the use of unreasonable force by a police officer.

Count two

Count two of the indictment claims Thao and Kueng "willfully failed to intervene to stop Chauvin's use of unreasonable force."

Count three

Count three of the indictment claims that all four ex-officers watched Floyd lying on the ground "in clear need of medical care and willfully failed to aid him."

All four officers "willfully deprived Mr. Floyd of his constitutional right not to be deprived of liberty without due process of law, which includes an arrestee's right to be free from a police officer's deliberate indifference to his serious medical needs," the indictment states.

The death of George Floyd

Just after 8 p.m. on Memorial Day, 2020, police responded to the Cup Foods store on 38th Street and Chicago Avenue South in Minneapolis for a report of a "forgery in progress."

Outside the store, police told Floyd he was under arrest.

In a video seen around the world, Floyd is heard telling officers, "I can't breathe," while he is forced down onto the street. He also asks for water.

Bystanders yelled at Chauvin to get off of Floyd, while officers Kueng and Lane assisted Chauvin. A fourth officer — Thao — ordered people, including an off-duty EMS worker, to back away from the scene.

Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd's neck even after he went motionless. All four officers who were at the scene were fired the next day and later criminally charged.

Also read: Here's How The Police Initially Described George Floyd's Death

Reporting from the Associated Press was used in this story.