The defense launched its case Tuesday in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the fired Minneapolis police officer charged with the death of George Floyd.
Court TV, via AP, swimming pool
Prosecutors restated their case Tuesday morning after more than two weeks of statements, which included spectators, medical experts, experts in the use of force and police officers.
The first witness called to the attack by defense attorney Eric Nelson was a retired Minneapolis officer who removed Floyd in 2019.
Scott Creighton said he pulled out his gun when Floyd didn’t want to show him his hands. In the body camera video played in court, Creighton raises his voice and uses explicit language as he commands Floyd, a passenger in a car he started, to show his hands. Floyd can be heard asking the officer not to shoot him.
“I won’t shoot you if you put your hands on the board, it’s the last time I tell you, it’s simple,” Creighton says in the video. “Keep moving your hands. You won’t hear what I have to say.”
Floyd is pulled out of the car and handcuffed. A paramedic later testified that Floyd told him he had been taking opioids all day and had taken pills while under arrest. The paramedic also stated that Floyd had high blood pressure and recommended that he go to the hospital.
The defense case focuses on the way Floyd died, which has been a key point of contention during the trial. A number of medical experts have testified for the prosecution, saying the police restraint restricted oxygen to Floyd’s body and caused his heart to stop. But defense attorney Eric Nelson has argued that a combination of Floyd’s underlying heart disease, adrenaline and fentanyl, and methamphetamine he had ingested before arrest amounted to a fatal combination.
Nelson has also portrayed the crowd of spectators close to Floyd as undisciplined and is expected to call a police expert to testify that the crowd distracted Chauvin to the extent that he was unable to perform his enforcement duties. law.
Judge Peter Cahill said the testimony is likely to end by the end of the week, possibly with Friday off. He told jurors they were waiting to be kidnapped after the final arguments on April 19. He had previously denied a defense request for the jury to be questioned and immediately abducted in light of the deadly police shooting of a driver at nearby Brooklyn Center, which led to the protests.
Chauvin, who was seen in disturbing videos kneeling on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes, is charged with second-degree murder. third-degree murder and second-degree homicide.
Chauvin pleaded not guilty. The other three agents involved are accused of aiding and abetting, and are expected to be tried together in August.