Wed 05 August 2020:
A Minnesota court is investigating how a British newspaper obtained police body-camera footage showing the arrest and death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who died after an officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes in May.
The Daily Mail on Monday published parts of videos from cameras being worn by two now-former Minneapolis police officers involved in Floyd’s arrest on May 25 in the United States.
A Hennepin County judge last month allowed journalists and members of the public to view the footage by appointment, but has not yet ruled on a motion by a coalition of news organisations seeking public access to the videos.
Leaked police bodycam footage obtained by Daily Mail shows new details of George Floyd’s fatal arrest pic.twitter.com/clFMMbU0CW
— TRT World (@trtworld) August 4, 2020
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, whose office is leading the prosecution of the four fired Minneapolis police officers charged in Floyd’s death, said he was not the source of the leak.
“We will continue to take the strictest precautions to ensure a fair trial,” Ellison said in a statement.
The newspaper’s article said the videos were leaked to DailyMail.com. The website shows about 10 minutes from former officer Thomas Lane’s bodycam and about 18 minutes from former officer J Kueng’s bodycam.
Keung’s body camera shows the officers walking into Cup Foods, where they speak to the owner, who had called them about being paid with counterfeit money.
The footage then shows two officers approaching Floyd’s car.
Chauvin has since been charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter.
Lane, Kueng and Thao are charged with aiding and abetting both second-degree murder and manslaughter.
All four officers were fired from the department after the incident.
