CHICAGO – As damning as video evidence in the George Floyd case appears to be, prosecutors know they must bring the right charges underpinned by sound legal logic if they hope to convict a Minnesota officer in Floyd's May 25 death.Exhibit No.
1 at trial is likely to be bystander video showing Officer Derek Chauvin pressing his knee into the back of Floyd’s neck as the handcuffed Floyd says he can't breathe.
Chauvin held his knee there even after the 46-year-old black man stopped moving.But strong video evidence doesn’t mean a conviction will be easy.
When it comes to police officers charged with crimes in the line of duty, it never is.“This is not a shoo-in,” said Mike Brandt, a Minnesota defense attorney.