The Minneapolis police chief, Medaria Arradondo, testified on Monday that ex-officer Derek Chauvin absolutely broke the department’s use-of-force law when he arrested George Floyd.
Arradondo said, he couldn’t justify the ex-cop to restrain Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes as it was certainly not part of their ethics and value. It’s highly rare for a police chief to testify against one of his own officers.
“To continue to apply that level of force to a person proned-out, handcuffed behind their back, that in no way, shape or form is anything that is by policy,” he added. Arradondo, his city’s first Black police chief, fired Chauvin and the three other officers involved shortly after Floyd’s death last May.
The chief’s testimony came on the sixth day of the month-long trial of Chauvin. Chauvin is on trial for murder of African-American Floyd and has denied the charges against him. If convicted, he could face a sentence of up to 40 years in jail.
Floyd’s killing last year re-energized the Black Lives Matter movement and sparked massive social justice protests in the United States and around the world. Footage of Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck prompted worldwide protests against racism and police violence.
Prosecutors based their questions on departmental guidelines and tactics, in order to show that Chauvin’s act was against his training. The chief said the type of restraint Chauvin was using came “once there was no longer any resistance and clearly after Mr Floyd was no longer responsive – and even motionless”.
The chief also said there was no need to detain Floyd at all as passing a counterfeit bill is “not a violent felony”.
He also added that, all officers are trained in first aid, and they “absolutely have a duty” to offer it to those in distress. Chauvin and other officers on scene even failed to provide medical assistant to Floyd when he said he couldn’t breathe and then passed out.
Chauvin’s defence team has contended that drug abuse and an underlying heart condition contributed to Floyd’s death. However, doctors said Floyd’s death caused from lack of oxygen, called asphyxia, due to the kneeling on his neck by Chauvin.
The outcome of this case is important as it will set an example of how the US justice system will handle such cases in the future, as police officers are rarely prosecuted or convicted for deaths that occur in custody.
