The Minnesota attorney general's office has completed its review of four former Minneapolis police officers linked to the death of George Floyd, and prosecutors plan to announce a significant decision on whether additional charges are warranted Wednesday afternoon, according to CNN.
Floyd, who was suspected of using a counterfeit $20 bill to buy a pack of cigarettes, was pinned down while white Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes on May 25. He later died in police custody. Although Chauvin was fired and charged with manslaughter and third-degree murder, Floyd’s death has sparked protests throughout the nation, with many demanding additional charges against other officers involved in the incident. Although other officers on the scene (Thomas Lane, J.A. Kueng, and Tou Thao) were fired, they have not been charged.
Wednesday, Jun 3, 2020 · 6:31:35 PM +00:00 · Lauren Floyd
Charges against the white ex-cop accused of murdering George Floyd have been elevated from third-degree to second-degree murder, according to the Star Tribune. Three other former officers linked to Floyd’s death have also been charged with aiding and abetting murder, law enforcement officers told the newspaper.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, of Minnesota, called the added charges “another important step for justice,” on Twitter. The former prosecutor earlier failied to prosecute Chauvin herself when she served as Hennepin County attorney in 2006 and he was involved in a shooting.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is still expected to make an announcement in the Floyd case Wednesday.
"I am confident that these officers will be charged before people in Minneapolis say their final goodbyes to George Floyd, may he rest in peace," Ben Crump, an attorney for the Floyd family, told CNN Wednesday.
Lane and Kueng initially responded to the forgery call at the Cup Foods store at 38th Street and Chicago Avenue and found Floyd in the driver’s seat of his car with two passengers, according to a complaint The Telegraph obtained. At one point in the encounter, Lane pulled a gun out on Floyd through an open window of his vehicle and asked him to show his hands. Lane then ordered Floyd out of the car, and he "resisted being handcuffed," according to the complaint. He later "became compliant" when Lane sat him on the ground and explained why he was being detained, police said. When Lane and Keung tried to walk Floyd to their squad car, he fell to the ground and told them he was claustrophobic, according to the complaint. Chauvin and Tou Thao, another officer, arrived at the scene later.
Officers struggled to get Floyd in the police cruiser when he didn't do so "voluntarily," police said in the complaint. That’s when Chauvin, who as an off-duty guard worked with Floyd last year at El Nuevo Rodeo nightclub, pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck, The Telegraph reported. "I can't breathe," Floyd said during the encounter.
NAACP President Derrick Johnson called for all of the officers involved to be charged Sunday on CNN. "If that community wants to see the protests stop, this district attorney must step up and do their job," he said. "It's unfortunate it took so long to indict one person, but all three should be brought to justice."
CLICK HERE to support organizations that are fighting every day for racial justice.
RELATED: New video shows more complete picture of moments before George Floyd arrest
RELATED: Arrest report for officer charged with George Floyd’s murder has damning new piece of evidence