Prosecutor: 3 cops in Floyd killing ‘chose to do nothing’

By STEVE KARNOWSKI, TAMMY WEBBER and AMY FORLITI
Associated Press

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A prosecutor says three former Minneapolis police officers charged with violating George Floyd’s civil rights “chose to do nothing” as Officer Derek Chauvin squeezed the life out of Floyd. But defense attorneys say the officers were inexperienced, weren’t trained properly or didn’t willfully violate Floyd’s rights. They also say officers deferred to Chauvin, the senior officer on the scene. Both sides gave closing arguments to the jury on Tuesday. J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao are charged with depriving Floyd of his right to medical care when Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck. Kueng and Thao are also charged with failing to intervene to stop Chauvin during the May 25, 2020, killing. Jurors are expected to begin deliberating Wednesday.