Cop in Floyd’s death charged with murder
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The white Minneapolis police officer who pressed his knee into George Floyd’s neck as he begged for air was arrested on Friday and charged with murder, and crowds broke overnight curfews imposed to try to stem violent protests over police killings of African-Americans that have spread to cities across the US.
Officer Derek Chauvin, 44, was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
He also was accused of ignoring another officer who expressed concerns about Floyd as he lay handcuffed on the ground, pleading that he could not breathe while Chauvin pressed his knee into his neck for several minutes.
Floyd, who was black, had been arrested on suspicion of using a counterfeit bill at a store.
Chauvin, who was fired along with three other officers who were at the scene, faces more than 12 years in prison if convicted of murder.
An attorney for Floyd’s family welcomed the arrest, but said he expected a more serious murder charge and wants the other officers arrested, too.
Prosecutor Mike Freeman said more charges were possible, but authorities “felt it appropriate to focus on the most dangerous perpetrator.”
On Minneapolis’ south side, officers fired tear gas and rubber bullets to drive back crowds of protesters who then set cars and businesses on fire and broke into stores, including some near a police station.
Shortly before midnight, scores of officers on foot and in vehicles moved in to curb the violence a day after city and state leaders faced blowback for their handling of the crisis.
Protesters on Thursday torched a police station soon after it was abandoned by police and vandalized dozens of businesses.
The Pentagon took the rare step on Friday of ordering the Army to put several active-duty US military police units on the ready to deploy to Minneapolis, according to three people with direct knowledge of the orders who did not want their names used because they were not authorized to discuss the preparations.
Downtown, thousands of protesters encircled a police station after the 8 p.m. curfew.
“Prosecute the police!” some chanted, while others yelled “Say his name: George Floyd!”
There was no violence, though some protesters sprayed graffiti on buildings.
Meanwhile, one person was killed in downtown Detroit after someone in a sport utility vehicle fired shots into a crowd of people protesting Floyd’s death, a Detroit police spokesperson said yesterday.
The shooting occurred at about 11:30 p.m. on Friday near Detroit’s Greektown entertainment district as officers were confronted with dozens of protesters, according to Sgt. Nicole Kirkwood, a police department spokesperson.
Kirkwood said an officer was not involved in the shooting.
The victim was a 19-year-old man, who was pronounced dead at the hospital, the police spokesperson said. The suspect pulled up in a Dodge Durango and fired shots into the crowd, she added.
No details about the victim or the person who fired the shot or shots were immediately available, according to Kirkwood.