Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
U.S. LEADER IS
ONE of four cops named in connection with George Floyd’s death was last night charged with murder – as protesters torched their HQ and Donald Trump threatened violence.
Rather than appeal for calm, the President vowed to unleash hell against thousands of demonstrators growing increasingly angry over the death of yet another black person in custody.
As US cities boiled over, demanding justice for Mr Floyd, Trump was accused of glorifying violence by Twitter for posting: “When the looting starts, the shooting starts.”
The US leader fanned the flames of tensions as dozens of buildings were razed to the ground in the third night of unrest which has left Minneapolis, Minnesota, looking like a war zone.
The protests had come before the sacked officer who allegedly knelt on the neck of Mr Floyd was yesterday arrested.
Derek Chauvin, 44, who has already been fired, was last night charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.
It also emerged he and Mr Floyd had known each other for “many years” as they worked security at the same night club, according to Minneapolis City Council vice president Andrea Jenkins.
ANGER
The arrest news came too late to prevent the violence which the Mirror witnessed unfolding, as demonstrators stormed the Third Police Precinct, their anger taking on a renewed energy as Trump called them “thugs”.
His Twitter post was quickly marked with a warning by the social media company as they labelled accompanying comments “glorifying violence”.
Yesterday, 500 National Guard soldiers were deployed as the President threatened to “assume control”.
Violence flared on Thursday night when news broke that officers allegedly involved in Mr Floyd’s fatal detainment – Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng – had not been arrested. Quickly, hundreds had again converged on the station the four police had been based at.
At around 10pm, the Mirror watched as dozens of officers were forced to flee the Third Police Precinct as groups of angry protesters stormed the building.
The station had been under siege since Mr Floyd’s death on Monday, but protected by armed police. Officers escaped when demonstrators forcibly entered and “ignited several fires,” police spokesman John Elder said.
Mayor Jacob Frey said he decided to pull police out of the precinct.
“You know brick and mortar is not as important as life,” he said. City officials had pleaded with people to “retreat” from the area as a precaution.
“We’re hearing unconfirmed reports that the gas lines to the Third Precinct have been cut and other explosive materials are in the building,” their Twitter feed read.
One of the protesters who had