County Attorney Says Officer Involved in George Floyd Death Invoked the Fifth, But His Lawyer Denies It

george floyd derek chauvin fifth amendment

Thomas Kelly, the attorney for Derek Chauvin, an officer involved in the death of George Floyd, denied his client invoked his Fifth Amendment right after Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said he did.

Freeman told CNN after a briefing on Thursday that all four officers–Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng–invoked their Fifth Amendment rights. The Fifth Amendment, commonly referred to as the right to remain silent, allows a person to refuse to testify if their answer could incriminate themselves.

However, Kelly told Newsweek that Chauvin did not. Newsweek reached out to the Hennepin County Attorney Michael Freeman's office for comment, but did not receive a response in time for publication.

The Minneapolis Police Department fired the four officers after a video of Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck while he says he can't breathe went viral on social media. Floyd was pronounced dead at the hospital about an hour and a half after officers arrived on the scene to respond to a potential forgery.

His death sparked protests nationwide and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz mobilized the National Guard to Minneapolis on Thursday as tensions mounted. More than 500 soldiers were sent to the St. Paul, Minneapolis area with a mission to "protect life, preserve property and the right to peacefully demonstrate," according to the Minnesota National Guard.

As of Friday morning, no arrests have been made and no charges have been brought against any of the four officers, fueling frustrations. During Thursday's press conference, Freeman said his office received thousands of calls, emails and social media messages with one central question: "what are you going to do about the murder of George Floyd?"

A placard displayed at a flashmob of protest against the killing of George Floyd in front of the consulate of United States of America on May 28 in Milan, Italy. All four officers involved in Floyd's death have invoked their Fifth Amendment rights, according to Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman. Francesco Prandoni/Getty

He acknowledged that people want justice and are angry that the officers haven't been charged, but urged everyone to give his office time to conduct a proper investigation. Floyd's death will be investigated "as expeditiously" and "thoroughly as justice demands," and it must be done right, according to Freeman. He condemned the officers' actions, but noted that a video being "graphic and horrific and terrible" and showing behavior that "no person should do" isn't enough on its own to bring charges.

"The question in my business is, is it criminal?" Freeman said. "That's what I have to prove and there are cases that you can quickly and easily evaluate. Most cases, particularly cop use of force cases, are specifically more complex and have to be done right."

Kelly pointed to the 2015 death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old man who was found with a nearly severed spinal cord after being put in a police transport van. Shortly after his death, Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby charged six officers involved. Prosecutors later dropped charges against three officers, and the three who went to trial were acquitted.

Freeman said it was a "rush to charge" and a "rush to justice" in the Gray case, and that he would not follow the same path. "I'm going to do this right," he said, adding that "justice cannot be rushed."

Mosby called it "shameful" for Freeman to use her office to "justify his inaction on the tragic and public killing" of Floyd. She added that it was "demonstrably false" to say there was a rush to charge and stood by her decision to bring the charges against the officer.

"I didn't have video footage of a murder–evidence any prosecutor would dream of," Mosby said in a statement. "Mr. Freeman needs to own his decisions and be courageous enough to decide whether or not to prosecute and pursue justice for the murder of George Floyd."

If a decision is made to charge the officers, Freeman said the criminal complaint will be posted on his office's website. If charges aren't filed, the report and "all evidence" will be made public.

This article has been updated to reflect that Chauvin's attorney denied that his client invoked his Fifth Amendment right.

Comments

Ten Unforgettable Things to Do Around Syntagma Square in Athens

Syntagma Square, Athens. Credit: Public Domain Syntagma Square has literally been the very heart of Athens ever since the city became the capital of the modern Greek state. With the Greek Parliament building and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier looming over it, it is rich with history and is the place where most major events of the last two centuries have taken place. Its name in Greek means “Constitution Square,” a name granted by Greece’s first modern royal, King Otto, on September 3, 1843, after an uprising of the people. This was a smart political move, since the royal palace overlooked the square. In 1934, the royal palace was turned over to the Greek Parliament, and ever since that time, Syntagma Square has been the place where all public protests and demonstrations have taken place. Syntagma Square home to historic demonstrations and protests In December of 1944, just after the departure of the occupying Nazi troops, a people’s rally at the square was marred b...

Inside the Magnificent Minoan Palace of Knossos in Crete

The Minoan palace at Knossos. Credit: Gary Bembridge /Wikimedia Commons/ CC-BY-2.0 The Palace of Knossos, located about five kilometers (three miles) south of Heraklion on Kephala hill, was the largest of all the Minoan palaces in Crete. It was also at the core of the highly sophisticated civilization that flourished on the island over 3,500 years ago. The discovery of the Minoan Palace of Knossos The discovery and subsequent excavation of the palace dates back to the beginning of the twentieth century. Before then, Knossos had only served as a place mentioned in Greek mythology. The first modern scholar to take a serious interest in the area was the German Heinrich Schliemann, who in 1870 had excavated the site believed to be Troy. Schliemann was certain that a major Minoan palace lay hidden near Heraklion, but the Ottoman authorities who still ruled the island at the time denied any permission to dig there. Years afterward, the British archaeologist Arthur Evans, inspired b...

Μπέος: «Εύστοχα χαρακτηρίστηκε φτύσιμο στα μούτρα των μελών της ΕΕΑ»

Καρφιά προς την Επιτροπή Επαγγελματικού Αθλητισμού έριξε με δήλωσή του στα social media ο Αχιλλέας Μπέος. Με αφορμή την απόφαση του CAS για την υπόθεση ΠΑΟΚ-Ξάνθης, ο δήμαρχος Βόλου θυμήθηκε τις ενέργειες της επιτροπής στην περίπτωση του Ολυμπιακού Βόλου το 2011 όταν εκείνος ήταν ο ισχυρός άνδρας της ομάδας. Επίσης εξέφρασε την απορία του για το ότι κανείς μέχρι σήμερα δεν έχει υποβάλλει την παραίτησή του. Αναλυτικά όσα έγραψε ο Αχιλλέας Μπέος: «Η απόφαση του Διεθνούς Αθλητικού Δικαστηρίου (CAS) για την υπόθεση των ΠΑΟΚ–Ξάνθης, αναμφίβολα είναι ένα ηχηρό χαστούκι γι αυτό που στην Ελλάδα ονομάζουμε Επιτροπή Επαγγελματικού Αθλητισμού, που υποτίθεται αξιολογεί, κρίνει και αποφασίζει αντικειμενικά και με βάση το ισχύον Δίκαιο και στην πραγματικότητα αποδεικνύεται ένα εργαλείο άσκησης μικροπολιτικής και ικανοποίησης αθέμιτων επιθυμιών και επιδ...

The World’s Oldest Living Olive Tree is on Crete

The most ancient olive tree in the world, in Crete. Credit: Dimitra Damian/Greek Reporter The oldest olive tree in the world is located in the village of Ano Vouves of Kissamos in Chania, Crete. The ancient tree is 3000 years old, as determined by the international scientific community. The ancient olive tree in Vouves has a trunk with a circumference of 12.5 meters (41 feet), and a diameter of 4.6 meters (15 feet). It belongs to the local tree variety of tsounati, and was grafted at a height of 3 meters onto a wild olive tree. Because of the grafting, its trunk has been so beautifully shaped by nature that it resembles a sculpture. In 1990, after a unanimous decision in the prefecture of Chania, the Vouves Olive Tree was declared a Natural Monument of great importance due to its status as the world’s oldest tree of its kind. The oldest olive tree still produces high-quality olives The fruits of the ancient olive tree make the best olive oil in the world, making the area...

Rolls-Royce Names Panos Kakoullis New CFO

Rolls-Royce aircraft engine. Credit: Mark Kobayashi Hillary/ CC BY 2.0 British aircraft engine maker Rolls-Royce will name Panos Kakoullis as its new CFO, Reuters reported on Monday. Kakoullis will start in his new role on May 3. The company hopes that the Greek-British Kakoullis, former head of audit and assurance at Deloitte, will successfully guide the company through the coronavirus pandemic. As the the second-largest maker of aircraft engines, Rolls Royce has taken major hits due to the dramatic decrease in air travel caused by the coronavirus. Airlines pay the company by the number of hours each plane is in flight. Accordingly, as the travel industry has come to a standstill, Rolls Royce faced severe financial difficulty in the past year. Rolls Royce CEO Warren East highlighted Kakoullis’ over 30 years experience at Deloitte in a statement: “Panos delivered significant transformational change at Deloitte, streamlining and simplifying the business and we look forwa...

The Greek Who Taught the Japanese to Eat Feta Cheese and Olive Oil

Credit: Facebook/ Thanasis Fragkis Pioneering businessman Thanasis Fragkis was the very first person to introduce olive oil and other traditional Greek products to Japan more than a decade ago. Olive oil, wine, feta cheese and Greek yogurt, relatively unknown food items to this Far Eastern country, are now being enjoyed as the great gourmet delicacies they are. Speaking to Greek Reporter from his home in the town of Mito, around 120 km (76 miles) north of Tokyo, Fragkis was justifiably proud of his achievement. “We have taught the Japanese to eat olive oil, cheeses, including feta, yogurt that were not part of their diet. They hardly knew of olive oil,” he says in wonderment. Originally from the town of Kymi on the island of Evia, Fragkis emigrated to England, where he met his future wife, who is Japanese. “When we got married we thought ‘you are Japanese, I am Greek, what is the point of living in England?’. Greece was a difficult place to start a business in at the ti...

The Fascinating History of Thessaloniki’s Iconic White Tower

The White Tower. Credit: ΣΟΛΑΚΙΔΗΣ ΣΩΤΗΡΙΟΣ /Wikimedia Commons/ CC BY-SA 4.0 Residents of Thessaloniki, Greece’s second largest city, often use its White Tower as a point of reference when giving directions in the beautiful seaside city. That’s because the tower is by far Thessaloniki’s most iconic monument. The ancient city, located in northern Greece, has a rich history stretching from antiquity to the modern era, but is most noted for its importance during the Byzantine period. During that time, Thessaloniki was a competitor with the great city of Constantinople in terms of its wealth and influence. The White Tower was a witness to many of the city’s most important historical events, and its role in Thessaloniki changed as did the ownership of the city itself throughout the millennia. Studying the history of the White Tower means learning the history of Thessaloniki. The Tower’s strategic location along the Thermaic Gulf made it perfect for guarding the city from thre...

Best Nude Beaches in Greece — and the Entire World

Plaka beach on Naxos. Credit: Carlo Pelagalli/Wikimedia Commons/ CC BY-SA 3.0 Greece is a country that appeals to almost any traveler, from its towering seaside cliffs to its nearly countless pristine beaches. It is also favored by naturists who want to feel free to be sunbathe and swim in the nude. Greece actually has too many nude beaches to count, with travelers knowing that if they desire that experience, they are never too far away from a nudist beach anywhere in the country. It is not an uncommon sight for women to sunbathe topless, even at conventional beaches in Greece, which is emblematic of the free-spirited nature of the country. Here we have collected some of the best spots for nude bathing all across the nation. World naturist bathing map A global guide to topless and nude sunbathing. Credit: Pour Moi swimsuit company website. A British swimsuit company named Pour Moi has now created a global map for naturists to know where nude bathing is legal — or at leas...

The Five Most Opulent Beach Bars in Greece

Some of the best and most opulent beach bars in the world can be found in Greece . Credit: Greek Reporter When summer rolls around in Greece people beat the heat by flocking to beach bars to enjoy a “frappe” coffee with the indigo blue sea stretching out before them. Beach bars and cafes are truly a summer staple in Greece, but sometimes the sheer variety of options can be overwhelming. The seaside establishments listed below are tried and tested, and are sure to satisfy every beachgoer this summer! The five best beach bars in Greece Le Moon Luxury Seaside Beach Bar – Olympus Riviera Le Moon Beach Bar is the epitome of luxury, located near Mount Olympus. Credit: Greek Reporter Le Moon beach bar is located near Mount Olympus, northern Greece. The bar is a perfect escape from your day-to-day life, offering delicious coffees and a plethora of other drink options right on the beach. The bar even has its own pool, making it a perfect refuge for those who prefer freshwater swi...

Minoan Language Linear A Linked to Linear B in Groundbreaking New Research

Palace of Knossos, Crete. Credit: Pat Scrap/Pixabay The Minoan language known as “Linear A” may finally be deciphered with the help of the internet, which can be used to uncover previously-hidden links to the much-better understood Linear B language, which developed later in the prehistoric period. The puzzle of Linear A has tormented linguists for many decades, as they attempted to link it somehow to Linear B, which was translated successfully for the first time in the 1950s. Linear B was used on the Greek mainland and Crete 50-150 years later than Linear A. Tablet with Linear A writing. Archaeological Museum of Heraklion, Crete. Credit: Dr. Ester Salgarella, Cambridge University Understanding the link between them and decoding the secrets of Linear A would allow experts to paint a much more complete picture of Minoan civilization going back as far as 1,800 BC. Linear A, which was used by the Minoans during the Bronze Age, exists on at least 1,400 known inscript...

Qoutes

Search This Blog