Floyd's death has sparked massive demonstrations against racism and the killing of black people in the United States.
Saturday, June 6, 2020
UPDATimes - New allegations have been announced against all police officers involved in the death of African American George Floyd in Minneapolis.
The indictment of Derek Chauvin has been escalated to second-degree murder and murder, according to court documents received by the BBC.
While three other former police officers who have been fired, face charges of aiding and abetting in the killings, the document states.
Most demonstrations over the past eight days have been peaceful, but some have turned violent and curfews have been imposed in a number of cities.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said the additional charges were made in the name of justice interests.
Derek Chauvin, a member of the Minnesota police force, was charged with three layered articles; second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree murder without a plan.
Derek was the police officer who pressed George Floyd's neck with his knee to death.
The other three policemen are Thomas Lane, J Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao. They all face charges of aiding and abetting the action.
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar said on Twitter that the latest indictment was "an important step for justice"
@amyklobuckar
The Floyd family lawyer, Benjamin Crump, said in a statement: "This is a significant step forward on the road to justice and we are grateful that this important action was carried out before George Floyd's body was buried."
However, he later told CNN that his family believed the accusations against Derek Chauvin should have been charged with first-degree murder.
He also said the family had been told that an investigation was ongoing and the accusations could change further.
What did the Prosecutor General say?
Ellison realized that successful prosecution of former police officers would be difficult.
"Winning a case will be difficult. History shows there are clear challenges," he said.
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