George Floyd: Witnesses at civil rights trial say 3 ex-cops failed to prevent murder

Prosecutors have argued that even bystanders could see that Floyd was in serious need of medical attention, and that the officers did not help.

Prosecutors at the federal trial of three former Minneapolis police officers charged with violating George Floyd’s civil rights are trying to show that even bystanders knew the Black man needed help, while the officers failed to act as former Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck.

Footage shown to jurors at the trial of J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao showed Floyd struggling with officers as they try to put him in a police vehicle, officers holding the handcuffed man facedown on the ground and Floyd gasping for air as a growing group of onlookers warned that Chauvin was killing him.

Floyd, 46, died after Chauvin knelt on his neck for 9 1/2 minutes. Kueng knelt on Floyd’s back, Lane held his legs and Thao kept bystanders back, according to prosecutors. Prosecutors have argued in pretrial filings that even bystanders could see that Floyd was in serious need of medical attention, and that the officers, who had basic medical training, did not help.

Witness Charles McMillian wept Tuesday as prosecutors played video in which McMillian pleads with officers to let Floyd breathe, prompting a warning from the judge that prosecutors were to avoid eliciting emotional responses.

“I knew something bad was going to happen to Mr. Floyd,” McMillian testified.

“What did you mean by that?” prosecutor Allen Slaughter asked.

“That he was gonna die,” McMillian responded.

When questioned by defense attorneys, McMillian acknowledged he did not see or hear several things, including Lane asking if Floyd should be rolled onto his side and later doing chest compressions, and Kueng saying that he couldn’t find a pulse.