The federal trial of the four former Minneapolis police officers charged in George Floyd's death might be delayed as prosecutors asked for additional time to prepare a case they say is unusual and intricate because of the large volume of evidence, the Associated Press reported.
The four officers—Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao—were indicted by a federal grand jury in May. The charges allege they disregarded Floyd's rights while under the government's authority as they pinned him, unresisting and handcuffed, to the ground.
Chauvin has yet to be sentenced after being convicted of murder and manslaughter in Minnesota state court. The other three officers will face aiding and abetting charges in state trial in March 2022.
The Speedy Trial Act stipulates that a trial in federal court must commence within 70 days of filed charges or an initial appearance, but the judge can extend the deadline if it is determined that the case is unusual or complex.
For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below.
Federal prosecutors are arguing that this case meets the criteria because of the simultaneous state and federal probes, overlapping witnesses with Chauvin's trial and hundreds of gigabytes of recordings and documents affiliated with the case.
The defense attorneys haven't argued against the possible delay, but a federal trial date still has not been designated.
Floyd, 46, repeatedly said he couldn't breathe as Chauvin pinned him to the ground on May 25, 2020. Kueng and Lane helped restrain Floyd—Kueng knelt on Floyd's back and Lane held Floyd's legs. Thao held back bystanders and kept them from intervening during the 9 1/2-minute restraint that was captured on bystander video and led to worldwide protests and calls for change in policing.
The federal indictment alleges Chauvin violated Floyd's right to be free from unreasonable seizure and from unreasonable force by a police officer. Thao and Kueng are charged with violating Floyd's right to be free from unreasonable seizure by not intervening to stop Chauvin as he knelt on Floyd's neck. All four officers are charged for their failure to provide Floyd with medical care.
