MN - George Floyd, 46, died in police custody, Minneapolis, 25 May 2020 #9 - Chauvin Trial Day 6

[Lilibet]

The Chief is an excellent witness. Very thorough.
JMO

 

[JerseyGirl]

Arradondo testifies that they put a lot of time/energy/resources to training.

He's now talking about resources dedicated to trauma/wellness for officers.

https://twitter.com/anavilastra/status/1379117678133137418?s=21

 

[missy1974]

The Chief is an excellent witness. Very thorough.
JMO

He seems comfortable testifying, which he should given his position. But I'm finding myself tuning out, it's slowwwwwww.

 

[ElizaKate]

He seems comfortable testifying, which he should given his position. But I'm finding myself tuning out, it's slowwwwwww.

Agree. State needs to move on to the point. I think he's starting too now, but it was starting to drag.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Currently have this exhibit up. It shows the signed policy & procedure manual form that Derek Chauvin signed in 2001.

https://twitter.com/anavilastra/status/1379119211314868228?s=21

Schleicher asks Arradondo to read this line: "Ensure that the length of any detention is no longer than necessary to take appropriate action for the known or suspected offense. (07/24/15)" #DerekChauvinTrial

Arradondo is now explaining MPD's policy on people recording police interactions with community members. He says people have the right under the First Amendment UNLESS someone is obstructing.

Arradondo explaining de-escalation.

"...in this case for officers to really focus on time options and resources, it's really primarily trying to provide an opportunity to stabilize a situation...with the goal is having a safe and peaceful outcome."

Schleicher: What about in your own experience when you were on patrol, did you use de escalation techniques?
Arradondo: Yes. Quite a bit.

 

[dixiegirl1035]

Nelson asks if "Hypoxia is the lack of oxygen to the brain. And there are many things that cause hypoxia, that would still be considered asphyxiation."

Dr. Langenfeld said "correct."

Nelson went on to ask about drugs, Fentanyl could cause hypoxia. Langenfeld said yes.

Nelson: And so, Mr. Floyd's carbon dioxide level was more than two times what you would normally expect?

Langenfeld: Correct.

https://twitter.com/anavilastra/status/1379101507065352197?s=21

ergo MOO why the ambo guys did the sodium bicarb... to change the pH down...

 

[JerseyGirl]

Schleicher: An officer can be using physical force and during the course of that still maintain attempts to de escalate and defuse the situation?
Arradondo: Yes.

https://twitter.com/anavilastra/status/1379122571514380292?s=21

S: When you talk about work time options and resources could options and resources include...using other officers who may be at the scene?
A: Yes.
S: And calling for backup.
A: Yes. [pauses and then adds] Actually you can also include seeking communities help...

 

[MsBetsy]

Agree. State needs to move on to the point. I think he's starting too now, but it was starting to drag.

I hope he brings up the point that excessive force is not required when the suspect is "passively" resisting. (Stiffening his body, falling down and refusing to get in the police vehicle do not require excessive force)

They had every reason to try using another way to de-escalate, and every reason not to use excessive force. Imo

 

[JerseyGirl]

Arradondo: ...the research says that people can react differently when they're under the use of alcohol or drugs...if someone's under the use of alcohol/drugs or you're doing force it may have a different reaction to them so that should be something you should be considering.

https://twitter.com/anavilastra/status/1379123444751740928?s=21

Arradondo: Behavioral crisis, out of all the bullets points, that is probably the one that our men and women experience in our communities the most.

Ok they're now taking a lunch break. Chief Arradondo will be back to finish testifying at 1:30 p.m.

 

[Linda7NJ]

<modsnip: Quoted post was removed>

Typically, by this point, the prosecution’s case is overwhelming- I’m not overwhelmed.

There is however, overwhelming reasonable doubt.

1. Did he use excessive force?

Maybe.

2. did he kill George Floyd?

I remain unconvinced

Two completely different questions. Since he’s not on trial for excessive force nor was he charged for it, that’s all that matters.

So far, all the prosecution has put forth shows he MAY have used excessive force.

 

[dixiegirl1035]

Great clarification there. Narcan would have no beneficial effect on someone who was already in cardiac arrest.

Exactly! They had so much time to even consider to do prior. And we have had BCA interviews with 3/4 that they all thought drug overdose.

I had my head banging as Thao interview .. he said again and again and again... I trusted my partners to do such... when asked more than 3 times as to why he did not react (MOO, he had been well trained for that interview by his lawyer) MOO

 

[Factoria]

A presumably insignificant detail that I've noticed throughout the trial so far is that it seems Nelson pronounces DC's name like 'show-vin', but prosecutors tend to pronounce as 'shaw-vin', except Schleicher, who often says' shaw-vin', then immediately follows up with 'show-vin' and apologizes. I have no idea, of course, whether any of this is intentional, but I do find it almost amusing.

 

[Weki]

Things got more interesting right towards the end before break. Schleicher is getting ready to bring it on home. Maybe he wanted to save the juicy part for after lunch. I agree with others I think the Chief is a good witness. He is an authority figure in this obviously. That’s why Nelson tailored the defense to say GF died from medical complications caused by fentanyl etc. He knew what he was up against long before we did! There is simply no justification for the method and length of time of the restraint.

It’s sad that we’re all excited that the police are finally admitting that in this case. It’s a rare sight for sure. To have the Chief of Police testify against a cop! That’s huge! Maybe a turning point in the conversation around police brutality? I don’t know - that might be too hopeful/naive.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo was expected to testify about police training and tactics, but he will not be allowed to discuss Chauvin's firing for the jurors.

Meanwhile, the doctor who provided emergency care to Floyd at Hennepin County Medical Center was the first person to testify Monday morning. He told jurors that – at the time and based on the information he had available – he believed Floyd died from a lack of oxygen, rather than an overdose or heart attack.

Derek Chauvin trial live: Doctor believed lack of oxygen 'likely' caused Floyd's death; Police chief Medaria Arradondo testifies

 

[JerseyGirl]

Dr. Bradford Wankhede Langenfeld was the first witness called to the stand Monday, testifying that he directed the care of Floyd at Hennepin County Medical Center and spent about 30 minutes trying resuscitate him before pronouncing him dead.

Langenfeld, first licensed in May 2020, was a senior resident at the time who worked under attending physicians. Questioned by prosecutor Jerry Blackwell, Langenfeld said he "provided the majority of direct patient care" to Floyd under the supervision of another doctor, Dr. Ashley Strobel.

Langenfeld testified that the paramedics who brought Floyd to the hospital did not give him any information that Floyd might have overdosed on drugs or suffered a heart attack.

Langenfeld said Floyd had some electrical activity around the heart, but no pulse. His heart monitor eventually flat-lined, Langenfeld said, and Floyd's heart never resumed beating on its own "to a degree necessary to sustain life."

"Any time a patient spends in cardiac arrest without CPR markedly decreases the chances of a good outcome," he said. Langenfeld said there's approximately a 10-15% decrease in survival rate per every minute that passes without CPR.

Asked by Blackwell what was determined to be the cause of Floyd's cardiac arrest, Langenfeld said: "At the time, based on the history available to me, I felt that hypoxia was one of the most likely possibilities." Hypoxia is a lack of oxygen, which Lagenfeld said he believed led to Floyd's death from asphyxia.

During cross-examination by lead defense attorney Eric Nelson, Langenfeld acknowledged that a combination of fentanyl and methamphetamine could cause hypoxia. A toxicology screen of Floyd after his death found fentanyl and methamphetamine in his system.

Responding to a question from Nelson, Langenfeld testified that a "primary reason" fentanyl is so dangerous is that it depresses the respiratory system. Answering Nelson, Langenfeld agreed that a person could die from using fentanyl even if they had become accustomed to taking the drug.

The testimony was an important moment in the trial. The prosecution is trying to show that Floyd died because of how Chauvin restrained him with a knee to the neck area while the defense is trying to show that other causes – drug use and poor heart health – led to Floyd’s death.

Derek Chauvin trial live: Doctor believed lack of oxygen 'likely' caused Floyd's death; Police chief Medaria Arradondo testifies

 

[Linda7NJ]

Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo was expected to testify about police training and tactics, but he will not be allowed to discuss Chauvin's firing for the jurors.

Meanwhile, the doctor who provided emergency care to Floyd at Hennepin County Medical Center was the first person to testify Monday morning. He told jurors that – at the time and based on the information he had available – he believed Floyd died from a lack of oxygen, rather than an overdose or heart attack.

Derek Chauvin trial live: Doctor believed lack of oxygen 'likely' caused Floyd's death; Police chief Medaria Arradondo testifies

asphyxia simply put means no oxygen getting to the brain - doesn’t denote the cause

 

[MsBetsy]

I would think so. lol
Typically, by this point, the prosecution’s case is overwhelming- I’m not overwhelmed.

There is however, overwhelming reasonable doubt.

1. Did he use excessive force?

Maybe.

2. did he kill George Floyd?

I remain unconvinced

Two completely different questions. Since he’s not on trial for excessive force nor was he charged for it, that’s all that matters.

So far, all the prosecution has put forth shows he MAY have used excessive force.

I think the fact that they used excessive force when it was not necessary could be interpreted as 3rd degree assault. They knew that their actions could have caused seriously bodily harm or death, yet they continued on for nine minutes.

I think the prosecution has done a good job so far proving that they at least used unwarranted excessive force. Whether or not they can prove their actions led to Floyd's death remains to be seen. They only have to show that it was a 'substantial causal factor.' Imo

 

[missy1974]

<modsnip: Quoted post was removed>

Typically, by this point, the prosecution’s case is overwhelming- I’m not overwhelmed.

There is however, overwhelming reasonable doubt.

1. Did he use excessive force?

Maybe.

2. did he kill George Floyd?

I remain unconvinced

Two completely different questions. Since he’s not on trial for excessive force nor was he charged for it, that’s all that matters.

So far, all the prosecution has put forth shows he MAY have used excessive force.

How does Chauvin or the defense explain NOT starting CPR, or not putting GF in a recovery position?

Unless Chauvin himself testifies that he thought he felt a pulse, thought he was just passed out and still breathing, I don't know how they explain that?

 

[turaj]

I want to word this carefully, because I don't want to start a debate or derail, but I understand that Minneapolis PD has a history and he has been Chief now for 3 years, and I'm hoping we will learn more in his testimony about what he has done to change things.

But has the Chief made some positive changes in the last 3 years from your perspective? Actually, I am more interested to know what changes he made before this happened.

in my limited perspective living here he has tried but is up against a stone wall with most of the MPLS City Council and not great backing from the Mayor . He has to literally beg for funds and fight a trend to " the police". There is an election in Nov. and I think the City Council will change alot...but it is a long slog to change a culture of "warrior training".

 

[Linda7NJ]

I think the fact that they used excessive force when it was not necessary could be interpreted as 3rd degree assault. They knew that their actions could have caused seriously bodily harm or death, yet they continued on for nine minutes.

I think the prosecution has done a good job so far proving that they at least used unwarranted excessive force. Whether or not they can prove their actions led to Floyd's death remains to be seen. They only have to show that it was a 'substantial causal factor.' Imo

police work being what it is - is much easier to play Monday morning quarterback.

there’s been corroborative testimony that people on illicit drugs can regain consciousness and be MORE violent. Restraining a large strong man like Floyd proved difficult -

The crowd was growing and appeared combative to the point paramedics made the call to scoop & move Floyd

I still don’t understand why it took so long for paramedics to arrive, do you? Maybe I missed that part of testimony.