The family of George Floyd, an African-American who died during his arrest in May 2020, will receive $ 27 million in damages after reaching an agreement with the city of Minneapolis (Minnesota), lawyers announced Friday (March 12). of the family. “This out-of-court settlement is the largest in US history in a fundamental rights case brought for a death attributable to misconduct.”, the lawyers explained in a statement.
George Floyd’s family had filed a civil complaint in July 2020 against the municipality and the four police officers involved in his death.
George Floyd, 46, was killed on May 25, 2020 after being handcuffed and pinned to the ground on his stomach, suffocating below the knee of white policeman Derek Chauvin. He was suspected of having used a forged 20 dollar bill to buy himself a pack of cigarettes.
His death sparked an outburst of anger not seen since the 1960s in the United States against racism and police violence, which has spread around the world, with protests calling for “Black lives matter” (“Black lives matter”).
Derek Chauvin’s trial began on Tuesday March 9 with the selection of first jurors. He is being sued for “Murder” and ” manslaughter “. The other three officers will be tried later.
Released on bail, the accused appeared in court on Tuesday dressed in a gray suit and carrying a notebook, on which he dutifully took notes, while potential jurors passed on the grill. The selection of the jury is a puzzle: of the first nine people interviewed on Tuesday, all admitted to having heard of the case. Some admitted to having already formed their opinion, criticized the police.
Several potential jurors have said they are concerned for their safety. Their anonymity is however protected and the cameras which film the hearings must keep them out of frame. Only two white men and a young Métis woman with a police uncle convinced the parties of their impartiality. The members of the jury will return to court on March 29 for the start of the substantive proceedings. The examination phase for potential jurors will resume on Wednesday and last for three weeks.
Until now, US police officers have rarely been prosecuted for excessive use of force, with jurors often tending to give them the benefit of the doubt.
Eric Nelson, Derek Chauvin’s lawyer, intends to plead that his client is not responsible for the death of George Floyd, who died, according to him, of a fentanyl overdose. The autopsy showed that he had consumed this synthetic opioid, but identified the “Compression of his neck” as the cause of death. The prosecution will maintain that Derek Chauvin made an excessive use of force knowingly. In court documents, she noted in particular that he had kept his knee on the neck of the forty-something, when he was unconscious and his pulse undetectable.
The verdict is not expected to be delivered before the end of April.
