World News | Appeals Court Won't Delay Ex-cop's Trial in Floyd's Death

Minneapolis (US), Feb 12 (AP) The Minnesota Court of Appeals on Friday dismissed prosecutors' request to delay the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer charged in the death of George Floyd.

The appeals court also dismissed the state's request to hold a joint trial for Derek Chauvin and the other three former officers who face charges.

Chauvin is scheduled to stand trial March 8 on charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter. The other defendants are due to stand trial August 23 on aiding and abetting charges.

The appeals court said that although the state argued delaying Chauvin's trial would be in the best interest of public health due to COVID-19 concerns, prosecutors did not show that holding Chauvin's trial in March would have a “critical impact” on their ability to prosecute the case.

A message left with prosecutors was not immediately returned. Chauvin's attorney, Eric Nelson, had no comment on the ruling.

Floyd, a Black man, died May 25 after Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee against Floyd's neck while he was handcuffed and laying chest-down on the street.

Last month, prosecutors appealed Judge Peter Cahill's ruling that split the former officers' trials, saying that multiple trials would traumatise witnesses and the community and that the evidence against all four defendants is similar.

They also argued that all four officers should face trial in the summer, when the COVID-19 pandemic may be more under control. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)