Tou Thao, the ex-Minneapolis police officer on trial for his involvement in George Floyd’s death, testified before the court on Tuesday, Insider reports.
During his testimony, Thao claimed he did not realize anything was medically wrong with Floyd until after firefighters attempted to perform life-saving measures on him.
Thao and two other former Minneapolis police officers, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng, are standing trial in Minnesota federal court. They are accused of depriving Floyd of his rights.
Thao is the officer seen standing guard in the viral video of Floyd’s death as Chauvin kneels on his neck. In court on Tuesday, he told jurors that he expected Chauvin, Lane and Kueng to address any medical needs Floyd had as he stood guard, The Star Tribune reports.
During her cross-examination, Assistant U.S. Attorney LeeAnn Bell got Thao to admit Floyd appeared unconscious at the scene. He also admitted that delaying CPR for even a minute could have an adverse impact on a person’s chances of survival.
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While on the stand, Thao also told the jury that police officers were trained to kneel on suspects. He said the technique was “not uncommon,” but he didn’t use it because he was short and would lose his balance, Insider reports.
Thao and his defense attorneys attempted to establish the idea that Thao believed his role was to act as crowd control. His attorney Robert Paule asked Thao why he did not participate in restraining Floyd.
“Because at that point I have a different role,” he said, according to The Star Tribune.
Lane and Kueng are also set to take the stand in the coming days.
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