PROSECUTORS plan to charge a Minneapolis police officer accused of pressing his knee against George Floyd’s neck with second-degree murder, and for the first time will level charges against three other officers at the scene.
Widely seen bystander video showing George Floyd’s May 25 death has sparked protests nationwide and around the world.
The officer, Derek Chauvin, was fired on May 26 and initially charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The three other officers were also fired but were not immediately charged.
The Star Tribune reported that Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison would be upgrading the charge against Chauvin while also charging Thomas Lane, J Kueng and Tou Thao with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.
The newspaper cited multiple law enforcement sources familiar with the case who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Ellison planned an announcement later yesterday on the case, but his office did not respond to questions about the Star Tribune report.
Lawyer Earl Gray, who represents Lane, said the report “is accurate” before ending the call.
Before news of the upgraded charges, a lawyer for Chauvin said he was not making any statements at this time. Lawyers for Thao and Kueng did not return messages seeking comment on the charges.
Lawyer Ben Crump tweeted that the Floyd family was “deeply gratified” by Ellison’s action and called it “a source of peace for George’s family in this difficult time”.
He said Ellison had told the family his office will continue to investigate and upgrade charges against Chauvin to first-degree murder if warranted.
Reached by phone, Crump declined to speak beyond the statement or make clear when Ellison had spoken with the family and whether he had been informed directly that additional charges had been filed.
George Floyd’s family and protesters have repeatedly called for criminal charges against all four officers as well as more serious charges for Chauvin, who held his knee to his neck. Some of the rockiness of the days since Floyd’s death on May 25 dissipated on Tuesday night, with demonstrations continuing around the country, but without major reports of violence.
Curfews and efforts by protesters to contain earlier flare-ups of lawlessness were credited with preventing more widespread damage to businesses in New York and other cities overnight.
New York police said they arrested about 280 people on protest-related charges on Tuesday night, compared with 700 a day earlier.
Nationwide, the number arrested in connection to the unrest rose to more than 9000.
At least 12 deaths have been reported, though the circumstances in many cases are still being sorted out.
Some tense incidents continued Tuesday night, but were far less prevalent than in preceding days.
Police and National Guard troops used tear gas, flash-bang grenades, nonlethal rounds and other means of dispersing crowds near a police precinct in Seattle, near Centennial Park in Atlanta and at demonstrations in Tampa and St Petersburg, Florida.
Meanwhile, protesters have clashed with police as thousands of people flooded into central London for a Black Lives Matter demonstration in response to the death of George Floyd.
Chief constables from across the UK had earlier issued a joint statement saying they “stand alongside all those across the globe who are appalled and horrified” after a black man died after being restrained by US police.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here