"Nine minutes and 29 seconds": Prosecutors begin closing arguments in Chauvin trial
19 April 2021
Steve Schleicher, an attorney for the prosecution in Derek Chauvin's trial, began closing arguments on Monday by describing in detail George Floyd's last moments — crying out for help and surrounded by strangers, as Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd for nine minutes and 29 seconds.
Why it matters: The jury's verdict in Chauvin's murder trial, seen by advocates as one of the most crucial civil rights cases in decades, will reverberate across the country and have major implications in the fight for racial justice.
What they're saying: "His name was George Perry Floyd Jr.," Schleicher began, as he summarized the stories witnesses told about Floyd's family and upbringing.
- "On May 25, 2020, George Floyd died. Face down on the pavement. Right on 38th and Chicago in Minneapolis. Nine minutes and 29 seconds. Nine minutes and 29 seconds. During this time, George Floyd struggled, desperate to breath, Schleicher said.
- "There was no superhuman strength that day. There was no superhuman strength because there is no such thing as a superhuman. ... Just a human, just a man lying on the pavement being pressed upon, desperately crying out. A grown man, crying out for his mother."
The big picture: "This case is called the State of Minnesota v. Derek Chauvin. This case is not called the State of Minnesota v. the police. ... Policing is a noble profession," Schleicher said, addressing the arguments many have made about the wider implications of the case.
- "This is not a prosecution of the police. It is a prosecution of the defendant. And there is nothing worse for a good police than a bad police," he continued.
- "Who doesn't follow the rules. Who doesn't follow procedures. Who doesn't follow training. Who ignores the policies of the department, of the motto of the department to protect with courage, to serve with compassion."
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.