A British media company on Monday published segments of two leaked body-worn camera videos showing the arrest and death of George Floyd in May at the hands of Minneapolis police.
The Daily Mail published an article on its website at 11:53 a.m. Eastern Time with the videos. It showed about 10 minutes of video from former Officer Thomas Lane’s bodycam and about 18 minutes from former officer J. Alexander Kueng’s bodycam.
The two former officers’ bodycam videos were made available for public viewing inside the Hennepin County courthouse in mid-July, but were prohibited from being recorded or publicly distributed.
It’s unclear how the Daily Mail got the videos. The article said they were “leaked” to the company.
Derek Chauvin. Britain’s Daily Mail published segments of two leaked body-worn camera videos showing the arrest and death of George Floyd in May at the hands of Minneapolis police.(Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office/TNS)
A message left with a Hennepin County District Court spokesman was not immediately returned.
Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office, which is leading the prosecution of four former officers charged in Floyd’s death, did not immediately return a message seeking comment on the matter.
Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill is presiding over the cases of four former Minneapolis Police officers charged in the killing. Cahill had prohibited the videos from being distributed outside the courthouse. He also prohibited the media and public from recording them when they were made available for public viewing.
J. Alexander Kueng. Britain’s Daily Mail published segments of two leaked body-worn camera videos showing the arrest and death of George Floyd in May at the hands of Minneapolis police.(Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office/TNS)
The videos published by the Daily Mail appeared to have been recorded on a device while they were played on a laptop in a courthouse conference room.
The courts had provided a large room and several laptops to view the videos, and required attendees to stow away their own personal laptops and cellphones during the hourlong viewing sessions. Sheriff’s deputies and court staffers were stationed throughout the room as several members of the media and public viewed the videos.
The two videos, which totaled about 65 minutes, were made viewable to the media and public by appointment only. Sixty-six slots were made available.
Thomas Lane. Britain’s Daily Mail published segments of two leaked body-worn camera videos showing the arrest and death of George Floyd in May at the hands of Minneapolis police. (Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office/TNS)
Attorney Earl Gray had filed the videos in court in early July as evidence supporting his motion to dismiss the charges against Lane, his client. Court filings make evidence, including bodycam footage, public data, according to state law.
A coalition of local and national media companies, including the Star Tribune, filed a motion in July seeking their immediate release. Cahill took the issue under advisement and has not issued a decision on the matter.
The videos, which were viewed by Star Tribune reporters in July, showed that Floyd was given no explanation for why he was being questioned before Lane pointed a gun and swore at him, touched him multiple times and forced him out of his vehicle into the street.
Kueng, Lane and former Officer Tou Thao are charged with aiding and abetting murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s May 25 death. Their former colleague, Derek Chauvin, is charged with second-degree murder, third-murder and second-degree manslaughter in the case. Prosecutors have said Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for nearly 8 minutes, but Kueng’s video showed that it was about 9 minutes and 30 seconds.
Tou Thao. Britain’s Daily Mail published segments of two leaked body-worn camera videos showing the arrest and death of George Floyd in May at the hands of Minneapolis police. (Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office/TNS)
Kueng and Lane had responded to Cup Foods on a report that Floyd had allegedly used a counterfeit $20 bill. They arrested Floyd; Chauvin and Thao arrived later to help them.
The bodycam videos and a video recorded by a bystander showed that Floyd repeatedly told the officers he couldn’t breathe, and that several bystanders pleaded with them to stop, but were ignored.
Cahill set the matter for trial next March.
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