Death of George Floyd: rescuers testify at the trial of Derek Chauvin

On the fourth day of the Minneapolis trial, paramedic Derek Smith testified about the situation when he arrived at the scene of the arrest.

This is a new testimony that the jury will have to retain when it comes to trying Derek Chauvin, accused of the murder of George Floyd during his arrest, on May 25, 2020, in Minneapolis, United States. On the fourth day of a trial which symbolizes the fight against police violence and racism, Derek Smith , first aid worker at the scene of the tragedy, testified at the bar.

“When I arrived he was dead, and when I dropped him off at the hospital he was still in cardiac arrest,” he said  at the stand , adding that ” The officers were still on him when I approached “. Once in the ambulance, a machine confirmed that his heart rate was “flat,” added his colleague Zachary Bravinder. “It means that the heart was not pumping blood, it is not a good sign …”. The two men, assisted by a police officer, then by firefighters, however tried to resuscitate him, but without success.

On the side of Derek Chauvin who faces 40 years in prison in this case, defense lawyer Eric Nelson believes that George Floyd succumbed to a  fentanyl overdose , combined with health problems. The official autopsy did find traces of this powerful synthetic opioid in the victim’s body but identified “compression of the neck” as the cause of death . Mr. Nelson’s strategy aroused the wrath of the Floyd family who denounced “an easy tactic when the facts are against you”.

The  trial  of Derek Chauvin, who pleads not guilty , should be tried at the end of the trial which runs until the end of April. His three ex-colleagues Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao, will be tried in August for “complicity in murder”.

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