Three other ex-policemen who took part in the arrest of George Floyd have now been charged in connection to his death, and the man who held his knee to Floyd’s neck is facing a fresh charge of second-degree murder, as per court documents.
Officers J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
They have all been fired from their positions.
44-year-old Derek Chauvin was charged with manslaughter and third-degree murder last week. He held his knee on Floyd’s neck for over eight minutes, including two minutes in which the man was unresponsive, prosecutors say. All officers are currently on a bail of $1 million.
“I strongly believe that these developments are in the interest of justice for Mr. Floyd, his family, our community and our state,” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said last Wednesday.
Derek Chauvin's charge has also been upgraded from 3rd to 2nd-degree murder.
— LADbible (@ladbible) June 3, 2020
The death of George Floyd has triggered massive protests, riots, and lootings across the country.
Since the incident happened, the public has been demanding charges to be brought against the officers. However, according to Ellison, the protests did not play a part in the authorities’ decision.
“I did not allow public pressure to impact our decision-making process,” Ellison said. “We made these decisions based on the facts that we have gathered since this matter occurred and made the charges based on the law that we think applies.”
On May 25, the policemen confronted Floyd while responding to an emergency call from a store worker, who said Floyd tried to use a fake $20 note to buy cigarettes, prosecutors say.
While Floyd was in his vehicle, officer Lane pointed his gun at his window and made him show his hands, as per a criminal complaint filed later on. The officer then put his weapon back when Floyd put his hands on the wheel.
Lane ordered Floyd to exit his vehicle and put cuffs on him. Some minutes later, the policemen ordered Floyd into their squad car, but he refused, saying he was suffering from claustrophobia.
Then, Thao and Chauvin arrived at the scene with another car, according to the complaint. With four officers around him, Floyd said he was having issues with breathing before being pushed to the ground.
Keung held Floyd down by his back while Lane forced his legs still. Meanwhile, Chauvin put a knee on his neck for almost nine minutes, for three of which Floyd was unresponsive, the papers say.
All three officers who were charged today in George Floyd’s killing – Kueng, Lane, and Thao – have been arrested pic.twitter.com/71gbJGPBqf
— Salvador Hernandez (@SalHernandez) June 3, 2020
For almost 3 minutes, Floyd could be heard saying things like: “I can’t breathe,” “Mama” and “please,” to which the officers responded with: “You are talking fine,” according to the documents.
Eventually, Lane could be heard asking whether they should turn Floyd on his side, to which Chauvin responded with: “No, staying put where we got him.”
Floyd could be seen moving, but at some point, his movements stopped, according to prosecutors. The video clearly shows the time when he seemed to stop breathing – 8:25 p.m.
Kueng said Floyd’s pulse could not be felt after checking his wrist, but the officers did not move from their positions, according to prosecutors. Almost two minutes after, Chauvin finally removed his knee.
For Fox News’ report on the story please see the video below.
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Source: NBC News
