Derek Chauvin And 3 Other Officers Face New Charges In George Floyd’s Death

The new charges come after protesters and activists across the nation have demanded all four of the officers be held accountable.

Minnesota's attorney general increased charges for Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer who choked George Floyd, to second-degree murder and charged three other officers involved in the death of Floyd.

Attorney General Keith Ellison announced the new charges in the case on Wednesday. All four cops were fired early last week.

Floyd, 46, died on May 25 after video captured Chauvin kneeling on his neck for nearly nine minutes.The other officers, Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng, and Thomas Lane, will be charged with aiding and abetting murder.

Chauvin was arrested last week and previously charged with 3rd-degree murder, a lesser murder charge, and manslaughter. Ellison said on Wednesday that prosecutors have issued arrest warrants for the three other officers.

Two autopsies, one independently requested by Floyd’s family and the other by the local county medical examiner, have ruled Floyd’s death a homicide.

Chauvin’s criminal complaint cited the findings of the examiner’s preliminary autopsy, which stated the “autopsy revealed no physical findings that support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation.” The independent autopsy, however, listed asphyxiation as Floyd’s cause of death.

The complaint against Chauvin, released May 29, claimed he “had his knee on Mr. Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds in total. Two minutes and 53 seconds of this was after Mr. Floyd was non-responsive.”

The new charges come after protesters and activists across the nation have demanded all four of the officers be held accountable. Floyd's death has prompted protests around the world against police brutality and systemic racism. During many of the demonstrations, officers have violently attacked protesters and journalists.