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| Jane Rosenberg/Reuters |
Prosecutors at Derek Chauvin’s murder trial in Minneapolis seemed jolted Wednesday when one of their most important witnesses initially testified that during George Floyd’s detention by police, while he appeared to be in fear for his life, Floyd stated, “I ate too many drugs.” Floyd, who was later pronounced dead, could be heard speaking on an audio/visual recording. The witness, Agent James Reyerson of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, acknowledged during cross-examination by Chauvin’s counsel, Eric Nelson, that he could hear Floyd say, “I ate too many drugs.”
It was clear that prosecutors were taken aback by this testimony. On re-direct examination, prosecutor Matthew Frank pressed Reyerson, who was the lead investigator in the probe of Floyd’s death, whether he’d ever carefully reviewed the audio before Nelson asked him to do it on cross. Reyerson said he had not. Then, after a break when he would have had an opportunity to meet with prosecutors, the witness abruptly reversed course. Under further questioning by Frank, Reyerson claimed, upon further review, that he now believes Floyd actually said, “I ain’t do no drugs.”
It is difficult to understand why prosecutors were thrown for a loop and why Reyerson was obviously unprepared for Nelson’s questioning. Earlier on Wednesday, in cross-examining one of the state’s use-of-force experts, Sergeant Jody Stiger of the Los Angeles Police Department, Nelson played the same recording and asked if Stiger could hear Floyd say, “I ate too many drugs.” Stiger, who also had not carefully reviewed the audio before being asked about it by Nelson, said he could not make out exactly what was said. --->READ MORE HERE
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| Jane Rosenberg/Reuters |
George Floyd forcibly resisted arrest. He did not verbally threaten the arresting officers, but he used significant force against them to try to prevsyent being taken into custody. He did not merely refuse to comply with their directives.
That was the upshot of Wednesday, the third day of the Derek Chauvin trial, in which the fired officer is charged with two counts of murdering Floyd, as well as with a count of negligently causing his death (manslaughter).
Though prosecutors tried some misdirection, the video and audio recordings are clear: Floyd, at six-foot, four-inches and 223 pounds (according to the autopsy report), was so determined not to be placed in the back of the squad car that, even though he was handcuffed, four grown men — police officers trained in the use of force, and pushing and pulling for all they were worth — could not get him to take a seated position.
This does not mean the officers’ prolonged restraint of Floyd later on, as his life faded, was justified. That is the central issue the jury will have to resolve. But the latest evidence helps better explain what preceded the infamous and grim video footage of Floyd under Chauvin’s knee. --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to related stories:
Minneapolis Police Chief says body cam footage appears to show Chauvin’s knee on George Floyd’s shoulder blade
Prosecutors Would Like to Convict a Cop in George Floyd's Death Based on Medical Experts Who Didn't Do the Autopsy
Chauvin Murder Trial: The Prosecution’s Reckless Gambit
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