ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Prosecutors in the trial of three former Minneapolis police officers charged with violating George Floyd's civil rights accused the men of standing by as fellow Officer Derek Chauvin "slowly killed George Floyd right in front of them."
One defense attorney countered Monday that Chauvin called "all of the shots" as the senior officer at the scene.
Former Officers J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao are broadly charged with depriving Floyd of his civil rights while acting under government authority.
Floyd died after Chauvin pressed him to the ground with his knee on Floyd's neck for 9 1/2 minutes while the 46-year-old Black man was facedown, handcuffed, and gasping for air.
Kueng knelt on Floyd's back.
Lane held down his legs.
Thao kept bystanders from intervening.
Last April, Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. In June, was sentenced to 22 years and six months behind bars.
According to the Associated Press, it's unknown if the three former officers will testify.
Nor is it known if Chauvin will testify, the news outlet reported.
The AP reported that the trial is expected to last at least four weeks.