Federal probe launched into state police after Chauvin found guilty
THE US Justice Department is opening a sweeping investigation into policing practices in Minneapolis after a former officer was convicted of the killing of George Floyd there, attorney general Merrick Garland has announced.
The news came a day after former officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murder and manslaughter over Mr Floyd’s death last May, setting off a wave of relief but also sadness across the country.
The black man’s death prompted months of mass protests against policing in the US.
The Justice Department is already investigating whether Chauvin and other officers involved in Mr Floyd’s death violated his civil rights.
“Yesterday’s verdict in the state criminal trial does not address potentially systemic policing issues in Minneapolis,” Mr Garland said.
The investigation is known as a “pattern or practice” – examining whether there is a pattern or practice of unconstitutional or unlawful policing – and will be a more sweeping probe of the entire police department and may result in major changes.
It will examine practices including use of force, and whether the department engages in discriminatory practices. It will also look into the department’s handling of misconduct allegations and its treatment of people with behavioural health issues, and will assess the department’s systems of accountability, Mr Garland said.
It is unclear whether the years under investigation will begin when Mr Floyd died or before.
Minneapolis Police Department is also being investigated by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, which is looking into policies and practices over the last decade to see if it engaged in systemic discriminatory practices.
The 46-year-old was arrested on suspicion of passing a counterfeit $20 bill for a pack of cigarettes at a corner market. He panicked, pleaded that he was claustrophobic and struggled with police when they tried to put him in a patrol car. They put him on the ground instead.
The centrepiece of the case was bystander video of Mr Floyd, handcuffed behind his back, gasping repeatedly, “I can’t breathe”, and onlookers shouting at Chauvin to stop as the officer pressed his knee on or close to Mr Floyd’s neck for what authorities say was about nine-and-ahalf minutes, including several minutes after Mr Floyd’s breathing had stopped and he had no pulse.
Floyd’s death on May 25 last year became a flashpoint in the national conversation about the deaths of black Americans at the hands of law enforcement and sparked worldwide protests.
At the trial, Chauvin’s lawyer persistently suggested his knee was not on Floyd’s neck for as long as prosecutors argued, suggesting it was across his back, shoulder blades and arm.
President Joe Biden has promised his administration will not rest following the jury’s verdict in the case, saying much more needs to be done.
“‘I can’t breathe.’ Those were George Floyd’s last words,” Mr Biden said. “We can’t let those words die with him. We have to keep hearing those words. We can’t turn away.”
Hundreds of people poured into the streets of Minneapolis, the city where Mr Floyd was killed, some running through traffic with banners, when Chauvin’s conviction was announced on Tuesday.
The three-week trial of the 45-yearold former police officer ended swiftly with barely more than a day of jury deliberations, then just minutes for the verdicts to be read – guilty, guilty and guilty– and he was handcuffed and taken away to prison.
Mr Floyd’s younger brother, Philonise, speaking at a press conference, said: “Today, we are able to breathe again.”
Tears streamed down his face as he likened Mr Floyd to the 1955 Mississippi lynching victim Emmett Till, except that this time there were cameras around to show the world what happened.
The jury, comprising six white people and six of black or multi-ethnic backgrounds, came back with its verdict after about 10 hours of deliberations over two days. The now-fired white officer was found guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
The jury’s decision was hailed around the country as justice by other political and civic leaders and celebrities, including former President Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey and California Governor Gavin Newsom, a white man, who said Mr Floyd “would still be alive if he looked like me. That must change”.
At the intersection where Mr Floyd was pinned down, a crowd chanted, “One down, three to go!” – a reference to the three other fired Minneapolis officers facing trial in August on charges of aiding and abetting murder in Mr Floyd’s death.
Chauvin will return to court in two months when he will be sentenced.
The three other officers involved in Mr Floyd’s arrest are due to stand trial in August.
Mr Floyd would still be alive if he looked like me. That must change