George Floyd case: Minnesota court, sheriff's office initiate investigation after 2 new body cam videos leaked
HENNEPIN, MINNESOTA: Shortly after The Daily Mail released two controversial videos related to George Floyd, Hennepin County District Court initiated an investigation along with the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office on how body camera footage from the national case was obtained by the UK-based outlet. The court has not yet authorized the video for public release, reports state.
The outlet, on Monday, August 3, posted footage from two video exhibits filed in the case of the State vs. Thomas Kiernan Lane, the court said. The clips on the news site included more than eight minutes of footage from former officer Lane's body camera, and over 18 minutes of clip from another body camera worn by former officer J. Alexander Kueng.
Floyd, an unarmed Black man, died in police custody on May 25. Four Minneapolis police officers involved in Floyd's brutal death were fired on May 26 after a video of the incident went viral on social media. The footage showed Floyd pleading with officers as one of them, Derek Chauvin, knelt on his neck while the 46-year-old told them to let him stand because he could not breathe. The clip showed Floyd pleading with the officer to allow him to breathe and a few minutes later he became unconscious. All the four officers were later arrested in the case. Floyd's death has sparked massive protests and unrest in Minneapolis and across the country.
A court spokesperson, in a statement, said: "Judge Peter Cahill has not issued an order regarding the media coalition’s motion to obtain copies of the Kueng and Lane body worn camera videos submitted in ... State vs. Thomas Kiernan Lane. Currently, the only way to view these video exhibits is in-person at the courthouse."
The court, last month, had approved journalists and members of the public to view the body camera footage by appointment, according to KARE 11 whose journalist Lou Raguse was also included in the approved list.
Raguse told his outlet that those viewing the footage were not allowed to make copies of the video. He added that deputies were walking around the viewing area as authorized members of the public viewed the footage. The journalist said that the cam footage showed the initial encounter between Floyd, Lane, and Kueng on the day of the incident. The video also shows Floyd's arrest and the arrival of Chauvin and former officer Taou Thao at the scene, including Chauvin's knee restraint on Floyd's neck.
Chauvin is currently charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Meanwhile, the rest of the officers, Lane, Kueng and Thao, have also been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter. All of them are currently out on bail except for Chauvin.
Shortly after the videos were released by the Daily Mail, Floyd family attorney Ben Crump issued a statement online, writing: "The more video evidence you see, the more unjustifiable George Floyd's torture and death at the hands of the police becomes. Although the allegation against George was for a non-violent offense involving a $20 bill, the police officers approached him with guns drawn, simply because he was a Black man. As this video shows, he never posed any threat. The officers' contradictions continue to build. If not for the videos, the world might never have known about the wrongs committed against George Floyd."