Newly released court transcripts reveal that Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged with murdering George Floyd, told the dying man to 'stop talking' as he gasped for air under Chauvin's knee. The documents, made public by lawyers for one of the four officers involved, provide the most detailed account yet of Floyd's final moments in May, which sparked global protests against racism and police brutality.
The transcripts, from body-camera footage worn by officers Thomas Lane and J Alexander Kueng, show Floyd repeatedly saying he could not breathe over 20 times while being restrained. He cried out for his mother and children, and told officers, 'You're going to kill me, man.' Chauvin, who knelt on Floyd's neck for nearly eight minutes, responded, 'Then stop talking, stop yelling.'
The encounter began after Floyd was suspected of using a forged $20 note to buy cigarettes. The transcripts show Floyd initially co-operative, apologising to officers before being ordered out of his car. He became agitated when officers tried to place him in the police car, pleading claustrophobia. Once on the ground, Floyd cried out 'Mama' a dozen times.
Officer Lane, a rookie only days on the job, asked Chauvin if they should roll Floyd on his side. Chauvin replied, 'No, he's staying put where we got him.' Lane then mentioned 'excited delirium,' and Chauvin said an ambulance was coming. The transcripts were released in support of a bid by Lane's lawyers to have charges against him dismissed.
All four officers were fired and arrested. Chauvin faces second-degree murder charges, while Lane, Kueng, and Tou Thao are charged with aiding and abetting murder. The case continues to fuel debates over policing and racial injustice in the United States.
