ALL FOUR police officers involved in the killing of George Floyd have now been charged.
Derek Chauvin, the white police officer who knelt on Mr Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes while he pleaded that he couldn't breathe, had originally been the only officer charged-- with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Chauvin's charge has now been elevated to second-degree murder, and the three other officers present have been arrested and charged with aiding and abetting murder.
The three former officers, who were fired following their involvement in Mr Floyd's death: Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J Alexander Kueng, were yesterday arrested and charged, with bail set at $1 million, according to Hennepin County Jail Records.
All four cops involved in Mr Floyd's death have now been charged (Hennepin County Sheriff)Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison yesterday confirmed the arrests and charges, and asked the community for patience while his team investigates the case, adding also that the civil unrest and public pressure had not been a factor in the further charges.
He said:
"I feel a tremendous sense of weight, I feel that this is a very serious moment.
"I can tell you I feel no joy in this, but I do feel a tremendous sense of duty and responsibility."
The details of Mr Floyd's murder do not amount to murder in the first degree, he stated, as there would need to be proof that the killing was pre-meditated; however his team of prosecutors will seek to prove that Chauvin committed a felony assault which unintentionally resulted in Mr Floyd's death.
Governor of Minnesota, Tim Waltz, welcomed the new charges but said that "progress" is not enough, and that "transformational change" is needed.
"George Floyd’s death is the symptom of a disease," Gov. Walz said.
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 31: Civil unrest has spread across all 50 states following the murder of George Floyd, whose death was caught on camera by passersby. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)"We will not wake up one day and have the disease of systemic racism cured for us. This is on each of us to solve together, and we have hard work ahead."
"Progress didn’t keep George Floyd alive and progress didn’t keep those people out of the streets," he added.
"They’re not looking for just progress, they’re looking for transformational change."
