Former Officer Derek Chauvin Has Been Arrested In Death Of George Floyd

TOPLINE

 Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been arrested and charged with the murder of George Floyd, whose death after Chauvin had pinned the 46-year-old African-American to the ground by his neck has sparked riots and widespread unrest in Minneapolis.

KEY FACTS

Chauvin has been charged with third degree murder and manslaughter, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said.

Floyd’s family, per a statement from their attorney, is calling on authorities to bump up the charges to first degree murder, since a third degree murder charge in Minnesota involves killing someone “without intent to effect the death of any person,” according to state statutes.

Prosecutors had initially declined to take him into custody on Thursday, saying they didn’t have sufficient evidence at the time.

Chauvin is seen in viral video footage pinning Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American, to the ground and continuing to kneel on his neck as Floyd protested he couldn’t breathe, resulting in Chauvin’s firing on Tuesday.

The video has sparked three days of protests and riots where demonstrators set fire to a Minneapolis police precinct building and dozens of other buildings throughout the city.

An investigation is still ongoing into the actions of the other three police officers who were on the scene—Thomas Lane, Tou Thao, and Alexander Kueng—and they may still be charged.

Crucial quote

“The arrest of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the brutal killing of George Floyd is a welcome but overdue step on the road to justice,” Floyd’s family said in a statement. “We expected a first degree murder charge.”

What’s next

The FBI is conducting a separate investigation into whether the officers violated federal civil rights laws.