A white Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, who recently killed an unarmed black man, George Floyd by kneeling on his neck for eight minutes, has been charged with murder.
Chauvin was arrested on Friday on suspicion of third-degree murder of George Floyd on Monday.
The charge means that Chauvin has been accused of killing Floyd without prior intent, but with disregard for his alleged victim’s life.
Chauvin was nabbed by Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension three days after he and three of his colleagues were fired from Minneapolis Police Department and he also faces a manslaughter charge.
Confirming the news on Twitter, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar wrote;
Police officer Derek Chauvin has been arrested and is in custody for the murder of George Floyd. The first step towards justice.
Also announcing the development, Hennepin County District Attorney Michael Freeman, who will prosecute Chauvin, said further charges could follow as his team continues to review evidence.
Freeman said his team would investigate the case ‘very carefully’, adding that despite the video showing Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck, they still faced ‘a difficult burden of proof.’
The attorney added;
Even as late as yesterday afternoon, we didn’t have all that we needed. But as of now, we have it.
Chauvin was filmed kneeling on 46-year-old Floyd’s neck outside a grocery store on Monday after Floyd allegedly tried to pay for food with a counterfeit $20 note.
Video of the incident which went viral on social media showed Floyd, who worked as a security guard, crying ‘I can’t breathe’ as Chauvin knelt on his neck.
The short phrase has since become the rallying cry of Black Lives Matter protests held across the United States in the wake of Floyd’s death.
Floyd died shortly after the distressing video was shot.
His death has sparked three days of rioting across Minneapolis, with hundreds of businesses looted, and scores of buildings burned down.
President Trump reacting called for an urgent investigation into Floyd’s death, and subsequently sparked fury after tweeting Friday morning that ‘looting would lead to shooting.’
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