The death of George Floyd, an African-American man in Minneapolis on the 25 May 2020, while being detained by Derek Chauvin a White police officer is nothing but tragic.
Strict Legal Guidelines When Taking a Suspect Into Custody
A police officer taking a person into custody must follow strict legal guidelines. In summary, police must have reasonable grounds to suspect that the person has committed an offence. Second, reasonable force can be applied should the suspect attempt to leave the vicinity or offer resistance in the process. And third, all care must be taken to ensure the safety and well-being of the suspect while being detained.
It is not uncommon for a police officer to pin a violent suspect down with a knee to the suspect’s neck. Suspects that fight back often get hurt in the process of suffering bruising and grazing. Police officers have a duty even during the most violent struggle to apply reasonable force.
Was This a Case of Unreasonable Force?
The situation in Minneapolis takes reasonable force to the level of brutal force when there is no evidence the suspect was even resisting let along with struggling.
Mr Floyd was begging with Officer Chauvin to let him breathe, but sadly Officer Chauvin’s training went straight out the window. And yes Office Chauvin or any police officer for that matter can face a charge of murder if the elements of the offence are made out.
