Former police officer Derek Chauvin did the right thing in pinning his knee to George Floyd's neck because he was resisting, a use-of-force expert testified for the defense, the BBC reported Wednesday.
Barry Brodd's testimony Tuesday in the murder trial of Chauvin contradicted a parade of authorities from both inside and outside the Minneapolis police.
According to Brodd, a former police officer from California, Chauvin acted with "objective reasonableness" and the force he used to restrain Floyd was "justified" - countering two weeks of prosecution witnesses.
Brodd defended Chauvin's actions and said he didn't believe Chauvin used excessive force when he and his fellow officers held Floyd down on his stomach, handcuffed and with Chauvin's knee on his neck for what prosecutors say was nine-and-a-half minutes.
Officers must respond to imminent threats, Brodd said, which require them to have "a reasonable fear that somebody is going to strike you, stab you, shoot you."
Defense attorney Eric Nelson asked Brodd: "Was it a deadly use of force?"
"No, it was not," Brodd replied.
"Police officers don't have to fight fair...they're allowed to overcome your resistance by going up a level," The New York Times quoted Brodd as saying.
Video of Chauvin pinning his knee on the neck of Floyd sparked protests around the world against racism and police brutality in the U.S.
Several Minneapolis police officials have testified Chauvin used deadly force against Floyd. And medical experts who took the witness stand have said that Floyd died from a lack of oxygen because of the way he was restrained.
