A US jury began deliberating Wednesday morning on the fate of three police officers who remained passive in the 2020 murder of African American George Floyd, an event that sparked protests across the country.
Tou Thao, 36, Alexander Kueng, 28, and Thomas Lane, 38, are accused of not having brought the necessary help to George Floyd, killed during his arrest, despite signs of medical distress.
The three police officers have been on trial for a month in a federal court in Saint Paul, in the northern United States.
“It’s your job to find the facts and then apply the law,” Judge Paul Magnuson told the jury Wednesday morning.
“Don’t let compassion or your prejudice influence you,” he added before the jurors began their deliberations, which could last from a few hours to several days.
A fourth police officer, Derek Chauvin, was convicted of murder in June and sentenced to 22½ years in prison.
It was he who had maintained for long minutes, on May 25, 2020, his knee on the neck of George Floyd, causing him to asphyxiate.
Alexander Kueng had settled on the back of George Floyd and Thomas Lane was holding his legs. Tou Thao kept on his side the passers-by, terrified, at a distance.
In addition to the lack of help provided, agents Thao and Kueng are also criticized for not having intervened to dissuade Derek Chauvin from “exerting unreasonable force”.
Police were originally called by a shopkeeper who suspected George Floyd of using a counterfeit $20 bill.