Murder of George Floyd: three passive police officers found guilty
The death of George Floyd, filmed and posted online, sparked huge protests against racism and police brutality across the United States and beyond in the summer of 2020. Getty Images via AFP - SCOTT OLSON
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The three police officers who remained passive during the murder of George Floyd have been found guilty in federal court.
They were found guilty of failing to intervene to assist the African American who was suffocating under the knee of white policeman Derek Chauvin.
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With this verdict, the three police officers aged 26, 38 and 28 were not condemned for what they did, but for what they did not do.
As he lay dying before their eyes, these officers did not come to the aid of George Floyd, whose death, filmed and posted online, had sparked huge protests in the United States and around the world.
The African-American showed clear signs of distress under the knee of
Derek Chauvin
, their superior, already convicted of murder in June and who pleaded guilty in this case.
Thomas Lane held his legs, Alexander Kueng was on his back, and Tou Thao kept the shocked onlookers at bay.
The defense tried in vain to plead the lack of experience of the two youngest deployed on the ground for just a few days.
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To read also: "Black Lives Matter", a slogan that carries and a movement that weighs
An upcoming judgment in the State of Minnesota
“
They had the possibility, the authority, the opportunity and the means to intervene
,
”
hammered the prosecutor
,
“
they knew they were doing something wrong, but they did it anyway.
»
The three police officers will know their sentence in a few weeks, but they are not done with justice.
All three will also be tried for complicity in murder in June by the State of Minnesota, while Derek Chauvin was already found guilty in June of murder and sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison.
►
To read: After the George Floyd affair, the hope of a profound change in the United States?
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