Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer who knelt on George Floyd’s neck before he died, has been taken into custody where he has been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman has announced.
News of Chauvin’s charges come after the State Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington announced the fired officer was taken into custody earlier today.
Earlier this week, a video arose of police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on George Floyd’s neck for nearly 8 minutes before he died, sparking protests across the U.S and international outrage.
The State Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington has called Floyd’s death at the hands of police a “murder” during a morning press conference.
The other officers involved in the murder of George Floyd have been identified as Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J Alexander Kuen. They have not been taken into custody but investigations related to their involvement are currently pending.