Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin Charged With Third-Degree Murder and Manslaughter in George Flloyd’s Death
Derek Chauvin, the white former Minneapolis police officer who was videotaped Monday kneeling on George Floyd’s neck while he pleaded “I can’t breath,” has been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced Friday.
In cell phone footage taken Monday by a bystander, Chauvin can be seen kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nearly eight minutes while arresting him on charges of trying to pay with a counterfeit bill. Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was handcuffed and can be heard saying that he cannot breathe. Floyd was pronounced dead later that night while in police custody.
During a press conference on Friday, Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington that, in his opinion, Floyd’s death “looked like a murder.”
Freeman said the case has moved “extraordinarily quickly,” and said his office has never charged a case in such a short time frame.
Footage of Floyd’s arrest has since sparked protests in Minneapolis and around the country over the past three days, some of which have grown violent.
Chauvin and the three other responding officers have been fired from the Minneapolis Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has opened an investigation into Floyd’s death.
The three other officers have not been taken into custody and authorities have not commented on whether they are likely to be charged in connection with Floyd’s death.
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