Filings now include 2nd-degree murder as 3 others accused

MINNEAPOLIS — Prosecutors on Wednesday filed a tougher charge against the former police officer at the center of the George Floyd case and charged three other former officers, delivering a victory to protesters galvanized by a death that roused racial tensions and unleashed coast-to-coast unrest.

The most serious charge was filed against Derek Chauvin, who was caught on video pressing his knee to Floyd’s neck and now must defend himself against an

accusation of second-degree murder. The three other officers at the scene — Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao — were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and seconddegree manslaughter. All four were fired last week.

The new charges were sought by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who called the protests unleashed by the death “dramatic and necessary” and said Floyd “should be here and he is not.”

“His life had value, and we will seek justice,” said Ellison, who cautioned that winning convictions would be hard and said that public pressure had no bearing on his decisions.

Benjamin Crump, an attorney for Floyd’s family, called it “a bittersweet moment” and “a significant step forward on the road to justice.”

Crump said Elison had told the family he would continue his investigation into Floyd’s death and upgrade the charge to firstdegree murder if warranted.

Chauvin was initially charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

The move powerfully punctuated an unprecedented week in modern American history, in which largely peaceful protests took place in communities of all sizes but were rocked by bouts of violence, including deadly attacks on officers, rampant thefts and arson in some places.

Earlier Wednesday, in a visit to a makeshift shrine at the street corner where Floyd died, his family again called for the arrests of Lane, Kueng and Thao, a demand echoed by their attorney.

“We are demanding justice,” Crump said.

In the nation’s capital, thousands of protesters knelt and sang “Amazing Grace” as well as chanting, “We are not going anywhere.”

Law enforcement officers in riot gear stood watching over the crowd, which stretched down 16th Street near the White House.

Some of the rockiness of the days since Floyd’s death May 25 dissipated Tuesday night, with demonstrations continuing around the country, but without major reports of violence.

Curfews and efforts by protesters to contain earlier flare-ups of lawlessness were credited with preventing more widespread damage to businesses in New York and other cities overnight.

“Last night we took a step forward in moving out of this difficult period we’ve had the last few days and moving to a better time,” New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

New York police said about 280 people were arrested on protest-related charges Tuesday night, compared with 700 a day earlier. Nationwide, more than 9,000 have been arrested in connection with unrest.

At least 12 deaths have been reported, though the circumstances in many cases are being sorted out.

Some tense incidents continued Tuesday night, but were far less prevalent than in preceding days. Police and National Guard troops used tear gas, flashbang grenades, nonlethal rounds and other means of dispersing crowds near a police precinct in Seattle, near Centennial Park in Atlanta and at demonstrations in Tampa and St. Petersburg, Florida.

More than 20,000 National Guard members have been called up in 29 states to deal with the violence.

Some protesters framed the burgeoning movement as a necessity after a long list of killings by police.

“It feels like it’s just been an endless cascade of hashtags of black people dying, and it feels like nothing’s really being done by our political leaders to actually enact real change,” said Christine Ohenzuwa, 19, who attended a peaceful protest at the Minnesota Capitol in St. Paul.

“There’s always going to be a breaking point. I think right now, we’re seeing the breaking point around the country.”

Elsewhere, Pope Francis called for national reconciliation and peace, saying he has “witnessed with great concern the disturbing social unrest” in the U.S.

“My friends, we cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form and yet claim to defend the sacredness of every human life,” he said Wednesday.

Thousands of people demonstrated Wednesday in London against police violence and racial injustice, with protesters chanting “Black lives matter,” before many of them began marching, blocking traffic.

Some of them converged on Parliament and the nearby Downing Street office of Prime Minister Boris Johnson. A few scuffles erupted between protesters and police outside the street’s metal gates.

Inside, Johnson told a news conference that he was “appalled and sickened” by Floyd’s death.