ST. PAUL, Minn. — Three former Minneapolis police officers charged with violating George Floyd’s civil rights ignored their extensive training and did nothing to save his life as fellow Officer Derek Chauvin pinned Floyd’s neck under his knee and Floyd gasped for air, a prosecutor told jurors Monday as the federal trial began.
“For second after second, minute after minute, these three CPR-trained defendants stood or knelt next to officer Chauvin as he slowly killed George Floyd right in front of them,” prosecutor Samantha Trepel said during opening statements in the trial of J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao, who are broadly charged with depriving Floyd of his civil rights while acting under government authority. “They chose not to protect George Floyd, the man they had handcuffed and placed in their custody.”
