MINNEAPOLIS — Jurors took a 30-minute lunch break and resumed deliberations Thursday afternoon in the federal trial of three former Minneapolis police officers charged with violating George Floyd's constitutional right to be free from unreasonable seizure.
As of noon, the jury had been behind closed doors for 10 hours over two days.
The all-white jury of 12 is trying to decide whether to convict former officers J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao for their role in restraining Floyd on Memorial Day 2020. The three are accused of helping former officer Derek Chauvin use illegal force on Floyd.
The jurors began deliberations on Wednesday and worked for seven hours without reaching a verdict in the case that began with opening statements Jan. 24. The deliberations resumed at 9 a.m. Thursday in the federal courthouse in St. Paul.
To compare deliberation durations, the Hennepin County District Court jury that convicted Chauvin of murder last April took nine hours over two days. In December, a Hennepin County jury took 27 hours over four days to convict former Brooklyn Center police officer Kimberly Potter of manslaughter in the death of Daunte Wright.
In 2019, a Hennepin County panel took 10 hours over two days to convict former Minneapolis officer Mohammed Noor of manslaughter in the shooting of Justine Ruszczyk Damond. The Ramsey County District Court jury that acquitted Jeronimo Yanez in 2017 took 30 hours to acquit him of killing Philando Castile.
In the current case, Floyd, 46, stopped breathing as he was pinned prone with Chauvin's knee on his neck for more than nine minutes on the street outside Cup Foods in South Minneapolis. During the restraint, Thao kept watch on a crowd of agitated bystanders on the sidewalk while Kueng held down Floyd's midsection and Lane held his legs.
Initially, Floyd pleaded for his life and repeatedly said he couldn't breathe. As he went silent under Chauvin's knee, the bystanders grew angry, telling the officers to check Floyd's pulse and let up on the restraint.
Chauvin was convicted of murder in Hennepin County District Court last April and is serving a sentence of more than 22 years. He also pleaded guilty in December to federal civil rights violations in Floyd's death.
Kueng and Thao are charged with failing to intervene and stop Chauvin's illegal use of force. All three officers are accused of failing to provide Floyd with medical aid.
During the trial, all three officers testified in their own defense, blaming inadequate training and a police culture with a military hierarchy on their failure to stop Chauvin who was a 19-year veteran.
Prosecutors called 21 witnesses including police trainers and medical experts. The defense called 11 witnesses, including the defendants.
Kueng and Lane, who were first on the scene to a report from Cup Foods that Floyd passed a fake $20 bill, were partnered that day as rookies in their first days after supervised field training.
Thao had several years of experience and was partnered with Chauvin that day. He testified that he was focused on the crowd and trusted Chauvin to know what was happening with Floyd and take care of him.
In order to reach a verdict, all 12 jurors must agree on their guilt or innocence. If jurors find the ex-officers guilty, they then must decide whether the actions caused Floyd's death. If they say yes, the judge could use that determination to give the officers longer prison sentences.
The jury has eight women and four men. Two each are from Hennepin, Olmsted and Ramsey counties. The remaining six are from Anoka, Blue Earth, Jackson, Nicollet, Scott and Washington counties.
The three officers also face trial in June in Hennepin County District Court on charges of aiding and abetting Chauvin.
Unless they reach a verdict, the jurors were expected to continue deliberations until 5 p.m.
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