by Scott McClallen
Former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin is in custody and has been charged with 3rd-degree murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced Friday.
“We are in the process of continuing to review the evidence. There may be subsequent charges later,” Freeman said at a news conference.
The investigation into the other three former officers involved is ongoing, Freeman said.
Police were called to Chicago and 38th in south Minneapolis about 8 p.m. Monday after a 911 caller accused Floyd of using fake money to purchase cigarettes.
A widely circulated video showed Chauvin kneeling for about seven minutes on Floyd’s neck, who repeatedly said, “I can’t breathe.”
Floyd was declared dead at 9:25 p.m.
The death in police custody is reminiscent of Eric Garner’s death in New York. Garner uttered the same phrase before he died.
Floyd’s death sparked three days of protests in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Although some protests were peaceful, others were violent, prompting Gov. Tim Walz to call in the Minnesota National Guard to protect peaceful protesters and businesses.
Hundreds of buildings were looted, and dozens more were set on fire across the two cities.
Walz On Friday called for order in the state.
“What the world has witnessed since the killing of George Floyd on Monday has been a visceral pain, a community trying to understand who we are and where we go from here,” Walz said at a Friday press conference.
“We have to restore order to our society before we can start addressing the issues, before we turn back to where we should be spending our energy: making sure justice is served.”
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Scott McClallen is a staff writer covering Michigan and Minnesota for The Center Square. A graduate of Hillsdale College, his work has appeared on Forbes.com and FEE.org. Previously, he worked as a financial analyst at Pepsi.
Photo “George Floyd Protester” by Lorie Shaull. CC BY-SA 2.0.
