On June 3, ex-Officer Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis Police officer who knelt on George Floyd's neck was charged with a new count. He has now been charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter from the previous charge of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
All four officers are now charged
Aside from the arrest of Derek Chauvin, the other three officers who were on the scene during the murder of Floyd were arrested and charged on June 4 with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison stated that he strongly believes that the developments are in the interest of justice for George Floyd, his family, the community and the state.
The announcement of the arrest of the other three officers came in a week after Floyd was killed by Chauvin in Minneapolis.
The murder, which was caught on video, sparked a nationwide protest that calls for the end in injustice in the system, racism in the country, and police brutality that targets the black community.
Derek Chauvin was previously charged with third-degree murder after pressing his knee into the neck of Floyd for almost nine minutes, he is also charged with second-degree murder.
Now, the charge has been raised to second-degree and it states that he killed Floyd without intent in the course of committing assault in the third degree. The two officers who helped restrain Floyd, Thomas Lane, and J. Alexander Kueng, were not charged when the murder happened.
After a week of protest, 37-year-old Lane, 26-year-old Kueng, and Chauvin's partner, 34-year-old Tou Thao are charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.
The 44-year-old Derek Chauvin is now being held at the Minnesota Department of Corrections after being arrested last week. Chauvin's bail was increased to $1 million on June 3. Lane, Kueng, and Thao are also being held on $1 million bails.
Tom Plunkett, Kueng's attorney, said in a statement that Kueng was asked to turn himself in to face charges. The charges filed against Chauvin is punishable by up to 40 years in prison while the charges filed against Lane, Kueng, and Thao are punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Floyd's autopsies
There were two autopsy results released connect to Floyd's death, and both show that he died by homicide. Chief Medaria Arradondo of Minneapolis Police fired the four officers who were involved in his murder.
The video of Floyd's murder immediately went viral worldwide last week, and it showed ex-Officer Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck even after the victim said that he could not breathe and after he repeatedly begged to be released.
Ex-Officer Lane was heard asking Chauvin to turn Floyd on his side but Chauvin kept his knee on his neck for three more minutes after Floyd stopped responding.
Atty. Benjamin Crump, the attorney for the family of George Floyd, stated on Twitter that the family is grateful that the three officers are now charged and that Chauvin's charge is changed to second-degree murder. He said that the arrest is a bittersweet moment for the family.
