All four officers charged in the murder of George Floyd
On June 3 during a televised press conference, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison informed the public that he and his prosecutorial team had enough evidence to upgrade the murder charge against Derek Chauvin and to finally charge the other three former Minneapolis police officers that aided in the May 25 death of George Floyd.
Chauvin, who was seen on cell phone video kneeling on Floyd’s neck until he died, was originally charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Ellison said that his office will be upgrading Chauvin’s charge to second-degree murder.
The other three former Minneapolis police officers, Thomas Kiernan Lane, Alexander Kueng, and Tou Nmn Thao, are all now in custody and facing charges of two counts of aiding and abetting and second-degree murder. All four former officers are now in custody and have been officially charged.
If convicted on both counts, the officers face a maximum sentence of 50 years in prison and a fine of up to $20,000. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison affirmed that with the upgraded charges, all four officers faced the same potential maximum sentence. ~ Fox News
After that cell phone video depicting Floyd’s death was released, all four of the officers involved were fired from the Minneapolis Police Department. Protests immediately began taking place across the country and eventually around the world from all who felt that Chauvin’s murder charge should have been for first-degree murder, and that the other three officers seen in the video were complicit in Floyd’s death and should have also been charged.
Peaceful protests, nighttime rioting and violent clashes with the police ensued for over a week in major metropolitan cities across the country in response to Floyd’s death.
ABC News reported that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has applauded the new charges and tweeted that the new developments in the charges against the four former officers was a “meaningful step toward justice.”
According to arrest warrant documents, Chauvin pinned his knee onto the back of Floyd’s neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds.
During that time, Lane asked Chauvin whether Floyd should get rolled onto his side, but Chauvin refused to move him, according to the warrant. Lane allegedly was holding Floyd’s legs as Kueng allegedly was holding Floyd’s back down as Chauvin kept his knee in place, according to the arrest warrant. Thao was seen on the video with both of his hands in his pockets. ~ ABC News
For more on the George Floyd murder charges levied against the four former Minneapolis police officers, see the video accompanying this article.
Written by: Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Follow Richard on Facebook and Twitter
