Officers are told “To stay away From the Neck” Says Police lieutenant in Derek Chauvin’s Trial : George Floyd
The trial for Derek Chauvin has started and many witnesses have taken to the stand which includes a 911 dispatcher, an employee at a nearby gas station, a professional mixed martial arts trainer, 6 bystanders, his girlfriend, a lieutenant who deals with “Use of force training” and Sargeant Ker Yang that does crisis management training.
When the “Use of force” trainer, Lieutenant Johnny Mercil was questioned about the situation, he spoke to the fact that what Chauvin did to Floyd, was outside the protocols of training and when officers are given bodyweight training they are encouraged to stay away from the neck as much as possible.
The lieutenant stated that he has trained hundreds of people, and even drew for the fact that the officers are directed to roll a person on their side after being handcuffed to avoid asphyxiation, which might have been the cause of the victim’s death.
He further added that in reaching their objectives in restraint, the least amount of force should be used.
To add fire to the testimony of the lieutenant, Sergeant Ker Yang who deals with crisis management stated that, in the case where someone was being restrained and in need of medical attention they would have been given that.
The video of Floyd was played in court showing Chauvin’s knee on his neck for over 9 minutes, with the victim crying that he could not breathe, while also calling for his mother.
Even though, the defence is using the fact that the deceased had an opioid problem which his girlfriend testified about, the information presented to the Minneapolis court so far shows that the former police officer did not correctly stick to the “Use of force” standards.
Derek Chauvin is currently facing charges for second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
The bystanders that witnessed the event, and testified in the court reported the horrors and fear to the judge that they felt from the situation.
