Four former police officers involved in George Floyd’s death have been charged with civil rights violations

US federal grand jury indicted four former police officers on Friday, including Derek Chauvin, for allegedly violating the constitutional rights of African American George Floyd, whose death in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in May of last year, caused a wave of protests in the country against police brutality and for racial justice.

Chauvin, Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao are accused of failing to provide medical assistance to Floyd. The indictments come after Chauvin was convicted last month by a jury of second degree manslaughter, third degree murder and second degree manslaughter.

The three other former cops face a state trial in August, and they are free on bail. Lane, Thao and Kueng first appeared on video conference Friday in the United States District Court in Minneapolis and were allowed to remain free after the hearing. Chauvin did not participate in the apparition.

Specifically, the federal grand jury describes that Chauvin pressed his left knee against the victim’s neck, and his right on the back and an arm, while Floyd was handcuffed and did not resist, and even when he passed out. The prosecution contends that Chauvin’s actions violated Floyd’s constitutional right not to use unreasonable force by an officer, resulting in his death.

Thao and Kueng are also accused of violating Floyd’s right not to be subjected to unreasonable detention., claiming that they did not intervene to stop Chauvin when he knelt at Floyd’s neck. All four are accused of failing to provide him with medical care.

For its part, Chauvin asked this Tuesday the annulment of the verdict which was known on April 20, highlighting among other arguments “inappropriate behavior” of the jury. The request was made after a photo of one of the jury members was released during an anti-racist protest, which was not mentioned by the defense, however.

Just over a week after the historic verdict, one of the jurors, Brandon Mitchell, a 31-year-old black man, gave several interviews, in an effort to encourage African Americans to sit on the juries. “Just like voting, it can help bring about change“, He said.

Mitchell is one of only two jurors to have been publicly identified since the high-profile trial.. After the interviews, an image of Mitchell was posted to social media in which he wears a T-shirt with a photo of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and the phrase “Get your knee off our neck”And the acronym“ BLM ”, from the movement Black lives matter.

Chauvin’s lawyer, Eric Nelson, demanded “a hearing to quash the verdict for improper conduct of the jury, threats, intimidation and pressure that they weighed him and / or his failure to follow instructions during the deliberations ”.

Also asked a new trial on the grounds that the judge refused to move the trial and isolate the jurors during the hearings. So much so that, according to him, they were influenced by the immense media coverage of the case.

After three weeks of debate and a brief deliberation by the jury composed of 12 members, Chauvin – who was filmed kneeling on Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes – was convicted and immediately jailed.. The sanction to which he will be subjected will be known on June 25.

(With information from EFE and AP)

KEEP READING: