Derek Chauvin, the agent who allegedly killed Geroge Floyd after crushing his neck during his arrest in the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, has been charged this Friday with the crimes of third-degree murder and abuse after three days of riots and protests.
Hennepin County District Attorney Mike Freeman has confirmed the charges brought and has indicated that prosecutors are still raising the possibility of further charges, according to reports in the daily Politico.
Shortly before, Minnesota Department of Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington had confirmed that Chauvin – who appears in a video kneeling on Floyd’s neck under the gaze of three other officers – had been taken into police custody.
Lawyer Ben Crump, who represents Floyd’s family, has requested that an independent investigation into his death be conducted, as well as an independent autopsy to discern the exact cause of death.
The agent, who had been working for the Minneapolis Police for 19 years, was dismissed after Floyd’s death was confirmed, according to information from the CBS network, which has indicated that the charges filed against him are currently unknown.
At first, officers said Floyd resisted being arrested and suffered a medical problem. However, the video footage obtained shows Floyd cooperating with the Police, at least in principle. In the video, he can be heard saying that he cannot breathe while Chauvin keeps his knee on his neck for several minutes.
The rest of the agents have been identified as Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Jueng. All three had been in the department for less than three years, although all four were fired the day after Floyd’s death.
His death – which has sparked fierce riots – is being investigated by the U.S. Attorney General’s office, the Minneapolis Federal Police (FBI) and the Justice Department’s Civil Rights division.
