By STEVE KARNOWSKI and AMY FORLITI, Associated Press
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Closing arguments were expected Tuesday in the federal trial of three former Minneapolis police officers charged with violating George Floyd’s civil rights, with jurors to get the case after a month of testimony.
Thomas Lane was the final officer to present his defense, testifying Monday he didn’t realize how dire Floyd’s condition was while handcuffed, facedown on the street with Officer Derek Chauvin’s knee pressed to his neck — until paramedics turned Floyd over.
“What went through your mind when you saw his face there, once he was tipped over?” Earl Gray, Lane’s attorney, asked.
“Um. He didn’t look good,” Lane said.
Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao are charged with depriving Floyd of his right to medical care as Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for 9 1/2 minutes. Lane held the 45-year-old Black man’s feet, Kueng knelt on his back and Thao held back bystanders.
Kueng and Thao are also charged with failing to intervene to stop Chauvin in the May 25, 2020, killing that triggered protests worldwide and a re-examination of racism and policing.
Chauvin pleaded guilty in the federal case in December, months after being convicted of state murder and manslaughter charges.
The judge and attorneys have indicated closing arguments could take almost the whole day Tuesday.