(Photo by Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)
It’s a sign of desperation. I want to know: When did police officers get their law degrees, when did they get voted into being judges, and when does four people do the job of … [a] jury?
— Selwyn Jones, uncle to George Floyd, commenting on court documents filed by Earl Gray, an attorney for Officer Thomas Lane, where Gray argued that Floyd “killed himself” by dying of a fentanyl overdose and an underlying heart condition, and that the police officers involved “were doing their jobs.” Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for nine minutes during the arrest that led to his death. “None of these guys — even Chauvin — actually killed him,” Gray said. Lane is charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in connection with Floyd’s death.
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.