2020, from a video courtesy of Darnella Frazier via Facebook, shows
Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin during the arrest of
George Floyd. Darnella Frazier / Facebook/Darnella Frazier /
AFP
Prosecutors are seeking stiffer-than-usual sentences for
four former US police officers charged over the killing of George
Floyd, arguing that they showed “particular cruelty” to the
handcuffed African American.
The 46-year-old resident of Minneapolis, Minnesota died in May
after being pinned to the pavement under the knee of white officer
Derek Chauvin as Floyd gasped that he could not breathe.
The case is proceeding amid renewed fury over police violence
against African Americans, galvanized by the shooting of Jacob
Blake in Wisconsin this week.
Court papers filed Friday in the Floyd case indicate that the
Minnesota attorney general’s office will argue there were a number
of aggravating factors.
These include evidence that Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for
almost nine minutes as bystanders, including multiple children,
pleaded for his life and then watched him die.
“George Floyd, the victim, was particularly vulnerable because
officers had already handcuffed him behind his back and then placed
him chest down on the pavement, and Mr. Floyd clearly and
repeatedly told the officers he could not breathe,” the court
documents state.
Chauvin inflicted “particular cruelty,” as well as “gratuitous
pain” as he abused his position of authority, prosecutors
allege.
“Despite Mr. Floyd’s pleas that he could not breathe and was
going to die, as well as the pleas of eyewitnesses to get off Mr.
Floyd and help him, (the) defendant and his co-defendants continued
to restrain Mr. Floyd,” the papers say.
Three or more suspects “actively participated” in the killing,
prosecutors noted, saying this would justify longer sentences.
Groundswell of outrage
The charges against Chauvin include unintentional second-degree
murder, while three ex-colleagues — J. Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou
Thao — are charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder
and manslaughter.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
The shockingly public nature of Floyd’s death — which bystanders
filmed and then posted on social media — sparked an enormous
mobilization nationwide, as protesters took to the streets to
denounce racism and police brutality.
he sees a policeman take a knee while hundreds protest the death of
George Floyd next to the White House on May 31, 2020 in Washington,
DC. ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP
The groundswell of outrage reached beyond American borders,
prompting huge demonstrations around the world against the
mistreatment of ethnic minorities and the rewriting of colonial
history.
The face of Floyd, a father-of-three whose last job was as a
security guard, has become a symbol brandished in anti-racist
marches everywhere.
He was remembered at a massive demonstration in Washington on
Friday that highlighted the case of 29-year-old Blake, who was
gravely wounded when a policeman fired multiple shots at him as he
tried to get into his car on Sunday in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Conviction in Minnesota for second-degree unintentional murder
and third-degree murder usually carries sentences of up to 12 and a
half years.
The court documents did not say how much extra time prosecutors
will request if the men are convicted, but the maximum for
second-degree murder is 40 years in prison.
A defense attorney for ex-officer Kueng sought a dismissal
Thursday, attributing the death to health problems and fentanyl in
Floyd’s system.
Attorney Thomas Plunkett will file evidence that Floyd swallowed
drugs during a May 6, 2019, arrest for selling drugs and was
convicted of a 2007 armed drug robbery in Texas.
AFP
Read more https://swordpress.com.ng/2020/08/30/us-prosecutors-seek-tough-sentences-for-george-floyd-cops/