(LibertySociety.com) – On January 24, federal prosecutors began their case against three former Minnesota cops for their alleged part in the death of George Floyd in the spring of 2020. Officials accused Officers J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao of depriving the victim of his civil rights while wearing the badge.
Video evidence shows Thao kept the crowd at bay while Lane held down the man’s legs and Kueng knelt on his back. A court of law already convicted former Officer Derek Chauvin of Floyd’s murder. The question for the jury now is: should or could the other police officers have intervened during the incident?
The trial of three former Minneapolis police officers for their role in the death of George Floyd begins today. It will focus on a crucial issue in U.S. policing: the duty of officers to intervene against fellow officers when they witness misconduct. https://t.co/c5SF5icIoJ
— The New York Times (@nytimes) January 24, 2022
Lane faces a single charge of violating Floyd’s constitutional rights, differing from the other two because he suggested Chauvin roll the victim on his side – twice. Apparently, he’s the only one of the three who will testify at the trial.
The other two former officers face the same charge plus an additional count of neglecting to intervene and stop their senior ranking officer. To complicate the issue on the scene, Chauvin trained Kueng and had a seniority status over them all. The defense claims the three ex-policemen did not have adequate training to deal with such a scenario.
Prosecuting Attorney Samantha Trepel stated the defendants “chose not to protect George Floyd,” and they should pay for failing to do something to help prevent his death.
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