Minneapolis: A Minneapolis police officer who pinned an unarmed black man with a knee to the throat before the man died has been arrested and charged with murder, a prosecutor said on Friday, after three nights of violent protests in the city sparked by the death.
Derek Chauvin, the officer who is seen on a bystander’s mobile phone video kneeling on George Floyd’s neck on Monday before he died, has been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter, Mike Freeman, Hennepin County attorney, said.
“He is in custody and has been charged with murder,” Freeman said of Chauvin, who is white. “We have evidence, we have the citizen’s video, the horrible, horrific, terrible thing we’ve seen over and over again.”
Freeman highlighted the “extraordinary speed” in charging the case just four days after Floyd’s death, but also defended himself against questions about why it did not happen sooner. He said his office needed time to put together evidence and he would not bring a case unless he had enough evidence to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
