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A video shows one of the police officers charged in George Floyd's death being confronted while grocery shopping and asked 'do you feel any remorse?'

Jun 23, 2020, 23:34 IST
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J. Alexander Kueng, one of the former police officers charged in George Floyd's death, was confronted at a Minnesota grocery story.Hennepin County Sheriff's Office via Reuters; YouTube/Inside Edition
  • A widely shared video shows one of the police officers charged in the death of George Floyd being confronted at a grocery store in Plymouth, Minnesota.
  • J. Alexander Kueng, who was charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder, was released on bail last Friday and was spotted while shopping shortly after.
  • The woman who filmed the confrontation could be seen asking Kueng if he felt any remorse, or if he would apologize.
  • Kueng told the women he could "understand" why she was upset, but stayed silent for most of the encounter.
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One of the ex-Minneapolis police officers charged in the death of George Floyd was seen in a widely shared video being confronted while shopping at a grocery store in Plymouth, Minnesota.

J. Alexander Kueng, 26, was one of the four officers fired from the Minneapolis Police Department and criminally charged after Floyd's death. He was only on his third day on the job on May 25 when his colleague, Derek Chauvin, pressed his knee into Floyd's neck for roughly eight minutes, killing him.

Kueng, who could be seen on video footage also pinning Floyd to the ground at one point, was charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder. He was released from the Hennepin County Jail on June 19 after posting a $750,000 bail.

It's unclear when Kueng was confronted at the store, and the original tweet posting the video is no longer visible.

The video, which was picked up by other social media accounts and local media outlets, showed Kueng holding some groceries and stopping to speak with the woman filming, who recognized him and asked for his name.

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"Oh. Yeah, that's me," he responded.

When the woman noted that Kueng is "out of prison, comfortably shopping in Cub Foods, as if you didn't do anything," Kueng responded, "I wouldn't call it 'comfortably.' I would just say getting necessities — or helping."

"I don't think you should have that right. I don't think you should even be out on bail," the woman said.

"I can understand that," Kueng responded. "I'm sorry you feel that way."

Kueng remained silent while the woman filming asked him to apologize

The video went on to show Kueng and another man moving towards a self-checkout kiosk and paying for their items, while the woman continued filming.

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"Did you think that people weren't going to recognize you? Honestly, did you? You don't have the right to be here. You killed somebody in cold blood," she said. "Do you feel any remorse for what you did? Do you?"

Kueng responded at one point that he'd pay for his items and leave, then stayed silent while the woman continued to film.

"You don't want to apologize? You don't want to say anything? No? Because this video is going to be on the internet," she said. "You're not going to be able to comfortably live in Minnesota — or anywhere."

This combination of photos provided by the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office in Minnesota on Wednesday, June 3, 2020, shows Derek Chauvin, from left, J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao.Associated Press

Kueng's attorney, Thomas Plunkett, has defended his client's conduct in the media, telling NBC News that Kueng did raise concerns during Floyd's violent arrest and told his fellow officers, "You shouldn't do that."

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Police records obtained by the Associated Press showed that Kueng first joined the police department in February 2019, but didn't become a full-time officer until December of that year.

Plunkett told the Associated Press that Kueng, who is Black, was raised in a predominantly Black neighborhood in Minneapolis, and became a police officer because he "wanted to make his community a better place."

Kueng is due in court on June 29. He has not yet entered a plea.

Expanded Coverage Module: black-lives-matter-module
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