Prosecutor Says Derek Chauvin Murdered George Because Of His Pride & Ego

The prosecution and defense are completing their closing arguments in Former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin’s trial. As the public waits for the jury’s decision, both sides made final comments on the events leading up to George Floyd’s death. The prosecution said that Chauvin’s ego played a part in his decision to kneel on Floyd’s neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds.

“He was not going to let these bystanders tell him what to do. He was going to do what he wanted, how he wanted, for as long as he wanted. And there was nothing, nothing they can do about it because he had the authority. He had the power, and the other officers, the bystanders were powerless,” prosecuting attorney Steve Schleicher said. “He was trying to win, and George Floyd paid for it with his life.”

In response defense lawyer Eric Nelson said Chauvin was a “reasonable officer.”

“You have to look at it from the reasonable police officer standard. You have to take into account that officers are human beings, capable of making mistakes in highly stressful situations,” Nelson said. “In this case, the totality of the circumstances that were known to a reasonable police officer in the precise moment the force was used demonstrates that this was an authorized use of force, as unattractive as it may be. This is reasonable doubt.”