Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has turned the George Floyd case over to the state's attorney general, Keith Ellison, rather than having the Hennpin County Attorney's Office handle it. Walz said that Floyd's family, community activists, and members of Minneapolis City Council had encouraged the elevation of the case.
"This decision is one that I feel takes us in that direction and the step to start getting the justice for George Floyd," Walz said Sunday. "When I spoke to the Floyd family they were very clear: They wanted the system to work for them. They wanted to believe that there was trust and they wanted to feel like the facts would be heard and justice would be served." Ellison said he would "bring to bear all the resources necessary" to prosecute the case, continuing: "I just want to let the public know we are pursuing justice, we are pursuing truth, we are doing it vigorously."
Mike Freeman, the Hennepin County attorney, said he'd also asked for Ellison's help in proceeding. "There have been recent developments in the facts of the case where the help and expertise of the Attorney General would be valuable," he said in a statement. "The governor has asked me to take this case and that's what we're going to do," Ellison told reporters. "I anticipate we're going to be working constructively together."
The police officer involved, Derek Chauvin, has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd's death. As of now, the three other officers who were involved in Floyd's detention and death have not been charged. On Friday, Ellison said that he had "every expectation" that there would be charges against all of them. In an interview on MSNBC on Monday, Ellison said that he will charge all four officers to "the highest degree of accountability that the law and the facts will support."
"We are reviewing the evidence, and we are reviewing the law, and we are going to charge this case in a manner consistent with the highest level of accountability that the facts and the law will support," Ellison said. "I can assure you that we're taking a fresh look at this." All of the officers are under investigation by state prosecutors, the FBI, and the U.S. Attorney's Office.