Monday, June 01, 2020

“There have been recent developments in the facts of the case where the help and expertise of the Attorney General would be valuable,” Freeman said in a statement.

The headline to this post is paragraph 6 of this Strib item stating that the Minnesota Attorney General will be leading inquiry into police conduct re George Floyd's death, and will be prosecuting as necessary.  Facts are always fun to see unfolded and explained. Facts are what a jury deliberates. Facts can reach far and wide, or be narrowed with precision, a matter of professional  judgment.

Facts might or might not reach to Bob Kroll conduct in the course of an expected thorough investigation, the Strib report stating:

He continued that he had reached out to Republican Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka to discuss deploying more Minnesota National Guard troops on city streets, and has spoken with other law enforcement leaders across the country to “push our messaging on a national level.”

The FBI is doing a parallel denial-of-civil-rights investigation, and agents should quiz Gazelka about any/all such conversations he's had over time with Kroll; and wtf did Kroll mean by "push our messaging on a national level?" Who = "our" and what "messaging?"

Lift every rock. This Strib report stated in part:

Earlier Sunday, state officials said several caches of flammable materials were found both in neighborhoods where there have already been fires and “in cars we’ve stopped as recently as this morning,” said John Harrington, state public safety commissioner. Some of the caches look like they may have been planted days ago and some only in the last 24 hours or so, he said.

Police are also finding stolen vehicles with plates removed that are being used to transport the flammable materials. Looted goods and weapons also have been found in the stolen cars, he said.

“The fact that we’ve seen so many of them in so many places now makes us believe that this is part of that pattern that shows that this in fact an organized activity and not some random act of rage,” he said.

One person pulled over in Bloomington while driving a plate-less car attempted to “douse the car itself and set it on fire,” which is “not something you see on most traffic stops,” Harrington said.

These individuals stopped were "messaging" in a sense, so who are they and who do they talk with? Facts are thinly reported.

Strib again, third separate item:

“As a part of a thorough investigation, BCA Agents are requesting authorization to obtain personnel files to include pre-employment psychological records, all training records, and internal affairs files for the above listed officers,” Lund wrote in another warrant. Investigators also sought access to the officers’ lockers at the Third Precinct station.

__________UPDATE__________
June 4 updating - Two questions come to mind. First, if there was an alleged phony twenty dollar bill, someone still has that in possession. If no such item can now be found, what's up? From video, first officers on the scene before Floyd was confronted went into the Cup Foods store upon arrival. Presumably checking validity of claim of a bad bill, and presumably taking possession of it as evidence, if it really existed. Where is it now? Is it "lost?" Presumably required procedure would have body cams activated at the point of officers exiting their auto, onward.

Second, why was Chauvin keeping his left hand in his left pants pocket as the video showed while kneeling on Floyd's neck with his left knee, and on Floyd's chest with the right knee? It is strange he did not keep both hands free.

These are details, but details might matter. If no actual fake bill existed, there was no probable cause even to confront Floyd, etc., etc. Store personnel testimony will doubtlessly be part of investigation results.