Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin charged for murder of George Floyd

Chauvin's arrest comes after days of city unrest as police violently clashed with protesters

May 29, 2020

Derek Chauvin (screenshot from viral video)

Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer involved in the death of George Floyd, has been arrested and charged with murder after days of city unrest calling for justice.

Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington said Friday that Chauvin was taken into custody by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, according to the Associated Press.

Chauvin was charged with murder in the 3rd degree, according to Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman.

“We felt it appropriate to focus on the most dangerous perpetrator,” Freeman said to the press minutes after Chauvin’s arrest was made public. “We have never charged a case in that kind of time frame. We can only charge a case with the presumption of reasonable doubt and right now we have that.”

BREAKING: Derek Chauvin, the cop who knelt on #GeorgeFloyd and one of four cops on the scene, has been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. pic.twitter.com/fgwtiCFGZD

— Pod Save America (@PodSaveAmerica) May 29, 2020

Freeman said he would not “speculate today” about whether or not the other three officers involved in Floyd’s detainment would also face charges.

“We have looked very closely at all statutes and this is what we’ve charged now … the investigation is ongoing,” he added.

Chauvin’s arrest comes after three nights of protesters hitting the streets in outrage over Floyd’s Memorial Day death, which was filmed as Chauvin’s knee was pinned on Floyd’s neck for eight-long minutes while the 46-year-old was handcuffed and repeatedly said he couldn’t breathe.

George Floyd and Minneapolis Police officer assaulting him (Family photo from Ben Crump and Screenshot from incident)

In the days that followed, Chauvin and three officers who looked on as his knee continued to take the breathe out Floyd were all fired by the Minneapolis Police Department.

Demonstrations in Minneapolis grew increasingly tense Tuesday night and the evenings after. Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters as buildings were destroyed and even set ablaze.

Moments after finding out about the news of Chauvin’s arrest, Floyd’s fiancée was photographed being consoled as she was overcome with emotion.

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Reactions came pouring in on Twitter following the announcement of Chauvin’s arrest from politicians and community leaders alike.

“A start, but every single officer involved must be held accountable for George Floyd’s murder,” Senator Kamala Harris said in a tweet.

Harris’ sister, attorney Maya Harris, also reacted to the news writing, “It took all this to get a simple arrest when the video showed everything we needed to know. The lengths we have to go through to get any measure of justice or accountability.”

“This is long overdue. Derek Chauvin was filmed on camera lynching a man who was crying out for help. He needs to be tried and CONVICTED for killing #GeorgeFloyd,” tweeted Van Jones. “I can’t breathe.”

A start, but every single officer involved must be held accountable for George Floyd’s murder. https://t.co/0bBYkNVVQc

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) May 29, 2020

This is long overdue. Derek Chauvin was filmed on camera lynching a man who was crying out for help. He needs to be tried and CONVICTED for killing #GeorgeFloyd

"I can't breathe." https://t.co/hfeha6QKNN

— Van Jones (@VanJones68) May 29, 2020

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