Police officer at Chauvin trial: Knee on neck is ‘deadly’ force

In the trial of former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin, the head of the police department’s homicide division offers harsh testimony.

Kneeling on the neck of someone who is handcuffed and in the prone position is “top-tier, deadly” force and should not be used, the head of the Minneapolis Police Department’s homicide division testified on Friday at former officer Derek Chauvin’s murder trial. “If your knee is on a person’s neck, that can kill him,” said Lieutenant Richard Zimmerman, adding that when a person is handcuffed in the prone position, “your muscles are pulling back … and if you’re laying on your chest, that’s constricting your breathing even more”. He offered harsh testimony against the way his former colleague and other officers at the scene restrained Floyd.