Three more Minnesota arresting officers charged with the killing of George Floyd

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Three other arresting police officers of George Floyd were officially accused of murder.
• Chauvin, the former officer who kneeled on Floyd, got arrested earlier and was charged with multiple cases, including a new one, which increased his bail to $1 million.
• Attorney General Keith Ellison was tapped by the governor to take charge of the case.

On Wednesday, three more former Minnesota cops have been formally charged in the murder of 46-year-old African-American,  George Floyd. 

Along with arrested former officer Derek Chauvin, who kneeled on Floyd’s neck, the Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison slapped J. Alexander Kueng, Tou Thao, and Thomas Lane on Wednesday with abetting the murder of the black-American charges.

The Hennepin County prosecutor, meanwhile, has arrested Chauvin earlier last week with charges of third-degree murder and manslaughter. The attorney general’s office is also to raise the allegations against Chauvin to second-degree murder without intent along with the original case.

Chauvin’s bail was now set to $1 million, which was doubled from the initial amount of $500,000.

Ben Crump, a legal counsel for Floyd’s family, said on Wednesday that the recent developments were major steps towards justice, and they are pleased that the move was made before Floyd’s burial.

On Sunday, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, D, commissioned Ellison, a former congressman, and civil rights lawyer, to take charge of the case from Hennepin County prosecuting attorney Mike Freeman. The governor said he decided to assign Ellison after consulting with Floyd’s family.

Floyd died on May 25 after the police officers arrested him for an apparent attempt of using a fraudulent $20 bill to buy at a store.

Footage of the arrest Floyd has surfaced online, and it showed  Chauvin pinning Floyd by the neck on the ground by using his knee as the black American pleaded that he couldn’t breathe.

Even after Floyd ceased talking and moving, Chauvin kept his knee on him. Onlookers were also shouting at the police officers to check on Floyd.

Another video angle showed that the three other officers are surrounding Floyd while under their custody.

Minneapolis Police Department reported that  Floyd was declared dead a few moments after he arrived at the hospital.

Floyd’s murder, along with other police brutality cases of police against black Americans, has ignited the protests and public outrage in Minneapolis and throughout the country.

While Keung, Thao, Lane, and Chauvin were immediately fired from their police posts, activists and community leaders called for the arrest and filing of murder charges against the former officers.

Surveillance video acquired by CNN showed that Floyd was not resisting arrest when apprehended by the police officers.

In an interview of the outlet last week with Floyd’s brother, Philonise, he urged the protesters to remain calm, noting that demonstrators were upset because they’re sick and tired of seeing African-Americans die.

Philonise also told CNN that they are calling for the death penalty against the police officers responsible for his brother’s death.

Source: AOL