—Lou Raguse (@LouRaguse) September 8, 2020
Nelson argued that Chauvin did not know the full extent of the situation when he arrived at the scene and suggested that Floyd died of a drug overdose and not from Chauvin kneeling on his neck for several minutes.
He blamed Kueng and Lane, who were trying to get Floyd into a squad car when Chauvin arrived, for Floyd's death.
"If EMS had arrived just three minutes sooner, Mr. Floyd may have survived," Nelson wrote. "If Kueng and Lane had chosen to de-escalate instead of struggle, Mr. Floyd may have survived. If Kueng and Lane had recognized the apparent signs of an opioid overdose and rendered aid, such as administering naloxone, Mr. Floyd may have survived."
Thomas Plunkett, an attorney for Kueng, said he intended to "shift blame onto Chauvin during trial," The Tribune reported.
Chauvin is a 19-year veteran of the force and had 18 complaints against him before his encounter with Floyd.
Gray and Plunkett argued that their clients were "rookies" on the force who looked to Chauvin for guidance. While both had contact with Chauvin while they were in training, they were not in training at the time of the incident, and Chauvin had no direct supervisory role over them at the time.
The lawyer for Thao previously argued that since Thao was busy "controlling angry bystanders" and couldn't see exactly what was happening when Floyd was pinned down, it put him in a separate situation from the other three officers.
According to The Post, authorities in Minneapolis are locking down the area surrounding the courthouse ahead of the hearing on Friday because of planned protests.
Protests erupted in Minneapolis and across the country after Floyd's death on May 25. Some of the protests turned violent with damage to both public and private property, and police officers themselves faced scrutiny in many cases for some of the brutal tactics used against demonstrators.
- Read more:
- Derek Chauvin, the ex-officer charged in George Floyd's death, faces several felony charges of tax evasion
- Wife of Derek Chauvin, the police officer charged with murder in George Floyd's death, files for divorce
- 18 complaints in 19 years, and a murder charge: What we know about ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin
- 'I can't breathe': 4 Minneapolis police officers were fired following their involvement in a Black man's death after a cop knelt on his neck for 8 minutes
