Officer charged in Floyd killing says he deferred to Chauvin

ST. PAUL, MINN. >> A former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd's killing testified Wednesday that he deferred to Derek Chauvin because he was his senior officer and that's what he had been trained to do.

J. Alexander Kueng is one of three former officers charged in federal court with violating Floyd's constitutional rights when Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd's neck for 9 1/2 minutes as the 46-year-old Black man was handcuffed, facedown on the street. Kueng knelt on Floyd's back, Thomas Lane held his legs and Tou Thao kept bystanders back.

Kueng testified that he was concerned about their inability to stop Floyd from thrashing around as they tried to arrest him after police responded to a 911 call about Floyd using a counterfeit $20 bill at a corner store. He said that when Lane suggested changing the restraint, Chauvin disagreed.

“He was my senior officer and I trusted his advice,” Kueng said.

All three officers are accused of depriving Floyd of his right to medical care. Kueng and Thao are also accused of failing to intervene to stop Chauvin in the May 25, 2020, killing that triggered protests worldwide and a reexamination of racism and policing.

Defense attorneys contend the Minneapolis Police Department provided inadequate training and taught cadets to obey superiors. They have also said that Chauvin, who was convicted of state murder and manslaughter charges last year, called the shots that day.

Kueng and Lane were both rookies, just a few days off of probationary status. Kueng agreed with his attorney, Tom Plunkett, that cadets are taught unquestioned obedience and that probationary officers can be fired at will.

Kueng testified about responding to the 911 call and how he and Lane handcuffed Floyd and struggled to try to get him into their squad car. He said he had dealt with strong people in training, but never someone as strong as Floyd.

By the time Chauvin and Thao arrived, Kueng said he was “pretty stressed out” and was worried the presence of Chauvin, who had been one of his field training officers, meant he was doing something wrong. He said it was his experience was that he should defer to his superiors.