Derek Chauvin charged with murder in connection with death of George Floyd

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US police officer Derek Chauvin has been charged with third degree murder and manslaughter in connection with the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis earlier this week.

Hennepin county attorney Mike Freeman said that further charges may also be possible.

Derek Chauvin was taken into custody earlier on Friday, said John Harrington, the commissioner for the department of public safety in Minnesota. Mr Chauvin was one of four men fired by the Minneapolis police department earlier this week after Mr Floyd died shortly after being physically restrained by officers who were responding to a phone call from a shop owner.

The death of Mr Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man, prompted violent scenes in Minneapolis and cities across America as demonstrators protested against the death of a black man who had been apprehended by white police officers.

This file still image taken on May 25th shows Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin (centre) arresting George Floyd. Photograph: Darnella Frazier/Facebook/AFP via Getty

At a press conference on Friday, Minnesota’s governor Tim Walz, who had deployed the US National Guard on Thursday, called for calm.