Ex-Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin has been charged with murder in the death of George Floyd.
Chauvin was among the four officers involved in Floyd's violent arrest that has since spurred days of protests in Minnesota's largest city.In this Monday, May 25, 2020, frame from video provided by Darnella Frazier, a Minneapolis officer kneels on the neck of a handcuffed man who was pleading that he could not breathe in Minneapolis.
Four Minneapolis officers involved in the arrest of a George Floyd who died in police custody were fired Tuesday.Chauvin was among the four officers involved in Floyd's violent arrest on Monday that has since spurred days of protests in Minnesota's largest city. Chauvin is white and Floyd was black. "We have now been able to put together the evidence that we need," Freeman said at a press conference. "Even as late as yesterday afternoon, we didn't have all that we needed. We have now found it."Floyd, who was 46, died after being arrested on the suspicion that he attempted to use a counterfeit bill. Tape of the arrest, which was caught by onlookers, shows Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck for more than seven minutes as Floyd, who is handcuffed, cries out that he cannot breathe. Chauvin was charged with third degree murder and manslaughter. Under the Minnesota penal code, third degree murder involves "perpetrating an act eminently dangerous to others and evincing a depraved mind" but without the intent to cause death. Before the specific charges were announced, Ben Crump, an attorney for Floyd's family, called the arrest "a step on the road to justice." "Now the officers who stood by & did NOTHING to save George need to be arrested and charged as well," Crump wrote in a post on Twitter. The other officers involved in the arrest were Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng. All four were fired on Tuesday. Freeman said Friday that he anticipated charges for the other officers but did not go into detail. Floyd's death has prompted calls from local and national figures for Chauvin's prosecution, and a federal investigation led by the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. "The Department of Justice has made the investigation a top priority and has assigned experienced prosecutors and FBI criminal investigators to the matter," the agencies said in a joint statement Thursday. A protester hold sign board "Justice for George" into a fire outside a Target store near the Third Police Precinct on May 28, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during a demonstration over the death of George Floyd.President Donald Trump, who has in the past told officers not to worry about injuring those they arrest, has shown sympathy for Floyd's case.But the president has also gone after those involved in the Minneapolis riots that have shaken the city in recent days. Among the buildings that have been destroyed was the Minneapolis Police 3rd Precinct, which was set on fire overnight Thursday. "These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won't let that happen," Trump wrote in a post on Twitter in the early hours of Friday morning. "Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!"labeled the president's tweet as "glorifying violence," the first time the social media company has done so. Joe Biden, the apparent Democratic presidential nominee, has also weighed in. During a livestream on Friday afternoon, Biden thanked Floyd's family for speaking with him, and pledged: "I promise you, we'll do everything in our power to see that justice is had." In a series of posts on Twitter, Biden chastised Trump for "calling for violence against American citizens during a moment of pain for so many."
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