Days after taking over the case, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison beefed up the murder charge against a former Minneapolis police officer and filed criminal charges against three others, saying justice would be found for George Floyd.
Ellison and Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman Wednesday filed an amended criminal complaint against Derek Chauvin, adding a charge of second-degree murder.
Three other Minneapolis officers, who have also been fired, were charged Wednesday with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd’s May 25 death. They are Thomas Lane, 37, J. Alexander Kueng, 26, and Tou Thao, 34.
Chauvin, 44, is accused of kneeling on the neck of Floyd for nearly nine minutes while the 46-year-old was handcuffed on the ground, while Lane and Kueng helped hold him down.
"We’re here today because George Floyd is not here,” Ellison said Wednesday. “He should be here, he should be alive. … About nine days ago, the world watched Floyd utter his very last words, ‘I can’t breathe,’ as he plead for his life.”
A bystander’s video captured the incident, including Floyd going motionless, and the case has sparked protests and unrest around the Twin Cities and the world. A federal civil rights inquiry is underway and the Minnesota Human Rights Department is conducting an investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department’s racial practices over the past decade.
A family memorial service will be held for Floyd in Minneapolis on Thursday, with the Rev. Al Sharpton delivering the eulogy.
"
This is a bittersweet moment for the family of George Floyd,” said Floyd family attorney Benjamin Crump. “… This is a significant step forward on the road to justice, and we are gratified that this important action was brought before George Floyd’s body was laid to rest.”
4 IN CUSTODY
The three former officers were arrested Wednesday afternoon. Chauvin has been in custody since Friday.
There's more to the article but I'm working rn
Ellison and Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman Wednesday filed an amended criminal complaint against Derek Chauvin, adding a charge of second-degree murder.
Three other Minneapolis officers, who have also been fired, were charged Wednesday with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd’s May 25 death. They are Thomas Lane, 37, J. Alexander Kueng, 26, and Tou Thao, 34.
Chauvin, 44, is accused of kneeling on the neck of Floyd for nearly nine minutes while the 46-year-old was handcuffed on the ground, while Lane and Kueng helped hold him down.
"We’re here today because George Floyd is not here,” Ellison said Wednesday. “He should be here, he should be alive. … About nine days ago, the world watched Floyd utter his very last words, ‘I can’t breathe,’ as he plead for his life.”
A bystander’s video captured the incident, including Floyd going motionless, and the case has sparked protests and unrest around the Twin Cities and the world. A federal civil rights inquiry is underway and the Minnesota Human Rights Department is conducting an investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department’s racial practices over the past decade.
A family memorial service will be held for Floyd in Minneapolis on Thursday, with the Rev. Al Sharpton delivering the eulogy.
"
This is a bittersweet moment for the family of George Floyd,” said Floyd family attorney Benjamin Crump. “… This is a significant step forward on the road to justice, and we are gratified that this important action was brought before George Floyd’s body was laid to rest.”
4 IN CUSTODY
The three former officers were arrested Wednesday afternoon. Chauvin has been in custody since Friday.
There's more to the article but I'm working rn
