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This video from George Floyd’s death isn’t new, as Megyn Kelly said in a Facebook post
If Your Time is short
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This body camera footage has been publicly available since August 2020, two months after George Floyd’s death.
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The footage was shown to the jury during former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s trial in March 2021. The jury found Chauvin guilty of second-degree murder.
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The officer, whose body camera footage Kelly showed, pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter in May 2022.
A Facebook post from Megyn Kelly’s SiriusXM podcast, "The Megyn Kelly Show" promises to show viewers "new police bodycam footage" of George Floyd’s arrest "that changes the narrative completely."
But the footage Kelly shows in the video has been public since August 2020, and a transcript of the audio was published a month before then.
Kelly did not respond to our request for comment.
The Facebook post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
Floyd was killed in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020, after police officer Derek Chauvin pinned his knee against Floyd’s neck for several minutes. Chauvin was convicted of second-degree murder in the case.
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A new movie, "The Fall of Minneapolis," claims to uncover "what really happened" on the day of Floyd’s death.
On her Nov. 15 show, Kelly interviewed the film's producer Liz Collin and director JC Chaix. An eight-minute clip of Kelly’s hourlong interview with Collin and Chaix starts with Collin’s retelling of the events leading up to Floyd’s death. Collin said she wanted people to see body camera footage before Floyd’s death which shows Floyd’s interaction with officers Thomas Lane and Alexander Kueng.
The clip showed Lane approaching the car Floyd was in, tapping the window with a baton and asking to see both of Floyd’s hands.
Floyd seemed startled repeatedly saying, "I’m sorry," as he opened the car door.
Within seconds, Lane drew his gun and pointed it at Floyd.
There are cuts throughout the video Kelly showed. After one cut, Lane asked Floyd multiple times to step away from the vehicle while Floyd pleaded with him, "Please don’t shoot me." After another cut, Lane forcibly pulled Floyd from the car.
On Facebook, Kelly characterized the footage as "new." However, the footage she showed from Lane’s body camera has been publicly available for more than three years. Collin herself makes that clear in the interview.
"And that’s what people should question. Why this information has been kept from them for so long," Collin said. "Nearly two and a half months before the body camera footage came out."
In the days following Floyd’s May 25 death, video from bystanders' cellphones and footage from nearby building’s security cameras helped piece together the events that led up to the incident. Some of the security video showed Lane and Keung’s interaction with Floyd.
The Minneapolis Park Police Department released redacted police body camera footage on May 27, 2020. However, it took months for the Minneapolis Police Department to release officers’ body camera footage, citing the ongoing investigation.
Here’s a timeline of when Lane’s body camera footage became public:
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July 8, 2020: A transcript of Lane’s body camera footage becomes public after his lawyer filed a motion to dismiss charges.
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July 13, 2020: A coalition of news organizations request public access to body camera footage.
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July 15, 2020: Media outlets and members of the public are allowed to view body camera footage by appointment only. The footage cannot be copied or recorded.
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Aug. 3, 2020: The Daily Mail releases a leaked recording of body camera footage. The video Kelly showed Nov. 15 is included in this leak.
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Aug. 10, 2020: Body camera footage is released to the public.
Whether Lane’s body camera video "changes the narrative completely," as Kelly claims, is an opinion. However, in March 2021, jurors in Chuavin’s case saw the body camera footage that Kelly says is "new." The jury found Chauvin guilty of second-degree murder.
Lane pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter in May 2022, and Keung pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in December 2022. Neither officer had a trial.
In a Facebook post, Kelly said, "New police bodycam footage" of George Floyd’s arrest "changes the narrative."
But the body camera footage Kelly showed has been publicly available since August 2020 and was shown during Chauvin’s trial in March 2021, which eventually led to his conviction.
We rate the claim False.
Our Sources
The Megyn Kelly Show, post, Nov. 15, 2023
PolitiFact, The death of George Floyd: What you need to know, May 29, 2020
The Washington Post, Body camera footage shows struggle leading to George Floyd’s fatal police encounter, Aug. 10, 2020
The New York Times, How George Floyd Was Killed in Police Custody, May 31, 2020
NBC News, Watch A Minute-To-Minute Breakdown Leading Up To George Floyd's Deadly Arrest, May 29, 2020
KMSP, Minneapolis Park Police releases body camera video in George Floyd death, May 27, 2020
KARE, KARE 11 Investigates: What if there wasn’t cellphone video of Floyd’s death?, June 17, 2020
Star Tribune, Read the transcript of Thomas Lane's body camera footage during George Floyd call, July 9, 2020
The Associated Press, Media: Body camera video in Floyd case should be made public, July 13, 2020
The New York Times, Footage of Police Body Cameras Offers Devastating Account of Floyd Killing, Aug. 11, 2020
Park Rapids Enterprise, Chauvin trial updates: Jury sees several different videos from police body-worn cameras, March 31, 2021
THe Washington Post, Derek Chauvin trial continues with witness testimony for third day - 3/31 (FULL LIVE STREAM), March 31, 2021
The Associated Press, Jury’s swift verdict for Chauvin in Floyd death: Guilty, April 21, 2021
MSNBC, Former Minneapolis Police Officer Thomas Lane Pleads Guilty In George Floyd Death, May 18, 2022
CNN, Former Minneapolis police officer who helped restrain George Floyd sentenced to 3 ½ years in prison, Dec. 9, 2022
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This video from George Floyd’s death isn’t new, as Megyn Kelly said in a Facebook post
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