Lawyer for officer charged in George Floyd’s death makes outrageous claims
Earl Gray, the lawyer for Thomas Lane, one of the Minneapolis police officers charged in the death of George Floyd, joined Chris Cuomo on CNN Monday night where he made some outrageous claims about the events surrounding Floyd’s death. In particular, Gray questioned whether the knee of officer Derek Chauvin was actually on Floyd’s neck as he laid on the ground with two other officers, including Thomas, on top of him. Gray claims it’s questionable, despite video clearly showing Chauvin’s knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes.
Video Transcript
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EARL GRAY: Officer King was on-- in the middle on his waist. And Sheldon was on his shoulder or neck.
CHRIS CUOMO: Neck.
EARL GRAY: No matter what, right-- well, that's questionable, by the way.
CHRIS CUOMO: How?
EARL GRAY: The white--
HOST: Earl Gray, the lawyer for Thomas Lane, one of the Minneapolis police officers charged in the death of George Floyd, questioned whether the knee of Officer Derek Chauvin was really on Floyd's neck as can clearly be seen on video. In making his case, Gray pointed to the findings of one autopsy while ignoring the results of another.
EARL GRAY: Just look at the autopsy. There is not any injury to this man's hyoid bone or larynx. He didn't suffer a strangulation or an asphyxiation. But let me finish this.
CHRIS CUOMO: But also, just to be clear--
EARL GRAY: Now, my clients--
CHRIS CUOMO: --that's not what the autopsy of the family did showed. And the knee is clearly--
EARL GRAY: Well--
CHRIS CUOMO: --on his neck.
HOST: When pressed on why his client didn't step in to save Floyd, Gray went so far as to suggest that the bystanders, one of whom said the officers wanted to kill Floyd, could have stepped in to save him.
EARL GRAY: If all of these people say why-- why didn't my client intercede? Well, if the public is there, and they're so in an uproar about this, they didn't intercede, either. And my client's down where he can't really see.
CHRIS CUOMO: Well, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on.
EARL GRAY: So in the--
CHRIS CUOMO: Counselor, counselor, hold on, hold on.
HOST: And Cuomo was quick to point out what a ridiculous concept that is.
CHRIS CUOMO: The idea that the civilians should have rushed in to a policing situation in the inner city of Minneapolis against four police officers. Don't you think that's asking a little much of civilians and a little too little of your client?
EARL GRAY: Absolutely. I-- I'm not-- I just brought that up. Well, what-- what you say is that he's a foot away.
CHRIS CUOMO: Yeah, I know.
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