More than three months after the tragedy, Derek Chauvin, Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao, the police officers implicated in the death of George Floyd, appeared, Friday, September 11, in front of a court of Minneapolis. The hearing focused on the organization of the trial, which could open in March 2021.
Outside the courtroom under a “Black Lives Matter” banner, hundreds of people called over megaphone for justice for George Floyd, who died on May 25th. “Indict, convict, send these killer cops to jail”, chanted the demonstrators. Many participants wore masks crossed out with the numbers “8’46”, in reference to the eight minutes and 46 seconds during which the white policeman Derek Chauvin remained kneeling on the neck of George Floyd.
Her ordeal, filmed and uploaded by a passerby, aroused emotion far beyond American borders and led millions of people to take to the streets of the country to demand police reforms and an end to racial inequalities.
Dressed in a dark suit and with a masked face, Derek Chauvin, 44, appeared in person for the first time before a judge. Charged with murder, he is being held in a Minnesota state jail and had so far presented to justice only by video link. At his side were three of his former colleagues, present at the time of the tragedy. Indicted for aiding and abetting murder, they were released on bail pending trial.
A trial that promises to be extraordinary
In documents sent to the court ahead of the hearing, the four men called for the charges against them to be dropped, arguing that they had used reasonable force in front of a struggling man. George Floyd is “Probably died of a fentanyl overdose”, also assured the lawyer of Derek Chauvin.
These arguments angered the Floyd family. “This is madness, I can’t stand it”, said his nephew, Brandon Williams, exiting the court. “He died because of a knee on his neck, it’s the autopsy that says so”, added his brother, Philonise Floyd, with emotion. Their lawyer, Ben Crump, denounced a “Shameless attempt to kill George a second time” in “Messing up his image”.
However, the hearing was not intended to address the substance of the case, but the practical organization of a trial which promises to be extraordinary. Lawyers for the four ex-police officers jointly pleaded for him to stand outside the twin cities of Minneapolis / St. Paul and to protect the anonymity of jurors, in the name of their safety. Eric Nelson assured to have received more than 1000 emails or malicious calls since he accepted to represent Derek Chauvin. Others said they were targeted by “Threats or obscene messages”.
“Their only goal is to have as many jurors as possible who do not look like George Floyd”family lawyer Jeff Storms then commented, referring to other towns in Minnesota where more white Americans live.
Fracture lines
Despite their common demands, however, lines of fracture have appeared between the four men, who seem tempted to reject the responsibilities of the drama and therefore ask to be judged separately.
Derek Chauvin’s defense demands that the charges against him be dropped, arguing that George Floyd is “Probably died of a fentanyl overdose”. She ensures that the first two agents arrived on site did not tell him “Signs of overdose that they may have observed” and did not call an ambulance in time.
The prosecution, led by the Department of the Attorney General of Minnesota, pleads for a single trial, so as not to increase the trauma of relatives and the cost to the taxpayer.
Judge Peter Cahill hinted that more hearings would be needed to decide. Beyond the question of the guilt of the four agents, the trial, which is due to open on March 8, will also be that of the methods of arrest of the American police, at the heart of many blunders.
Our selection of articles on the death of George Floyd
Find all of our articles on the death of George Floyd in our heading.
