Author: Steve Karnowski
-
Chauvin gets 21 years for violating Floyd’s civil rights
ST. PAUL, Minn. • A federal judge on Thursday sentenced Derek Chauvin to 21 years in prison for violating George Floyd’s civil rights, telling the former Minneapolis police officer that what he did was “simply wrong” and “offensive.” U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson sharply criticized Chauvin for his actions on May 25, 2020, even as…
-
No charges filed in no-knock warrant killing of Amir Locke
MINNEAPOLIS • Minnesota prosecutors declined to file charges Wednesday against a Minneapolis police SWAT team officer who fatally shot Amir Locke while executing an early morning no-knock search warrant in a downtown apartment in February. Locke, 22, who was Black, was staying on a couch in his cousin’s apartment when authorities entered it Feb. 2…
-
Teachers hit picket lines in Minneapolis as parents worry
MINNEAPOLIS • Minneapolis public school teachers hit the picket lines on Tuesday, calling for better wages and “safe and stable schools,” as parents found themselves facing an uncertainty that’s become all too familiar during the coronavirus pandemic. Union leaders and school officials made it clear the sides were far apart on issues that also include…
-
3 ex-cops convicted of rights violations in Floyd killing
ST. PAUL, Minn. • Three former Minneapolis police officers were convicted Thursday of violating George Floyd’s civil rights, as a federal jury rejected their arguments that inexperience, improper training or the distraction of shouting bystanders excused them from failing to prevent Floyd’s killing. Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane were convicted of depriving…
-
Jury ends 1st day with no verdict for 3 cops in Floyd slaying
ST. PAUL, Minn. • A jury wrapped up its first day of deliberations Wednesday without a verdict in the federal trial of three fired Minneapolis police officers charged with violating George Floyd’s civil rights when he was pinned to the ground for 91/2 minutes as fellow Officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into his neck.…
-
Prosecutor: 3 cops in Floyd killing ‘chose to do nothing’
ST. PAUL, Minn. • Three former Minneapolis police officers charged with violating George Floyd’s civil rights “chose to do nothing” as a fellow officer squeezed the life out of Floyd, a prosecutor said in her closing argument Tuesday. Defense attorneys countered that the officers were too inexperienced, weren’t trained properly and did not willfully violate…
-
Officer says he assumed fellow cops were caring for Floyd
ST. PAUL, Minn. • A former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd’s killing testified Tuesday that he was relying on his fellow officers to care for Floyd’s medical needs while he controlled onlookers as police tried to arrest the Black man. Tou Thao is one of three former officers charged in federal court with…
-
Prosecutor: Potter ‘failed’ Wright; defense calls it mistake
MINNEAPOLIS • A suburban Minneapolis police officer who said she mistakenly drew her gun instead of her Taser when she fatally shot Black motorist Daunte Wright went on trial on manslaughter charges Wednesday, with a prosecutor saying Kim Potter had been trained how to avoid such deadly mix-ups but still got it wrong. Potter’s lawyer,…
-
Minneapolis voters reject replacing police
MINNEAPOLIS • Minneapolis voters Tuesday rejected a proposal to replace the city’s police department with a new Department of Public Safety, an idea that supporters hoped would bring radical change to policing in the city where George Floyd’s death under an officer’s knee brought calls for racial justice. The initiative would have changed the city…
-
Defense rests without Chauvin testimony at murder trial
MINNEAPOLIS • Former officer Derek Chauvin chose not to take the stand as testimony at his murder trial ended Thursday, passing up the chance to explain to the jury and the public for the first time what he was thinking when he pressed his knee against George Floyd’s neck. Closing arguments are set to begin…