The first week of the Derek Chauvin trial wrapped with powerful testimony from the most senior officer in the Minneapolis Police Department saying Chauvin’s knee to George Floyd’s neck was “totally unnecessary” and “uncalled for.”

Lt. Richard Zimmerman has been with MPD since 1985 and runs the homicide unit. He told prosecutors Friday he had never been trained to kneel on the neck of someone who is handcuffed behind their back and in a prone position.

When prosecutor Matthew Frank asked Lt. Zimmerman if a move like that would be considered force, he said, “that would be the top tier, the deadly force…because of the fact that if your knee is on a person’s neck, that can kill ‘em.”

свернуть