Beefed up charges against officers' involved in Floyd's case

KUWAIT, June 4 (KUNA) -- Beefed up murder charge was brought against a former Minneapolis police officer would find justice for George Floyd, said Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison.
Days after taking over the case, Ellison and Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman late Wednesday filed an amended criminal complaint against Derek Chauvin, adding a charge of second-degree murder.
Three other Minneapolis officers, who have also been fired, were charged, also Wednesday, with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd's May 25 death. They are Thomas Lane, 37, J. Alexander Kueng, 26, and Tou Thao, 34.
Chauvin, 44, is accused of kneeling on the neck of Floyd for nearly nine minutes while the 46-year-old was handcuffed on the ground, while Lane and Kueng helped hold him down. The incident sparked nation-wide rage and protests that also involved unrest and looting "We're here today because George Floyd is not here," Ellison said Wednesday. "He should be here, he should be alive.
"About nine days ago, the world watched Floyd utter his very last words, 'I can't breathe,' as he plead for his life" A bystander's video captured the incident, including Floyd going motionless, and the case has sparked protests and unrest around the Twin Cities and the world. A federal civil rights inquiry is underway and the Minnesota Human Rights Department is conducting an investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department's racial practices over the past decade.
"This is a bittersweet moment for the family of George Floyd," said Floyd family attorney Benjamin Crump.
The three former officers were arrested on Wednesday afternoon. Chauvin has been in custody since Friday.
Floyd's family has asked that first-degree murder charges be brought. In Minnesota, such a charge would require prosecutors to prove it was premeditated that Chauvin meant to kill Floyd and planned it ahead of time.
Ellison said public pressure played no part in his decisions and he said he would not attempt to bring any charges that could not be proven in court. "If I don't charge it, it means that we did not have the facts to do that," he said.
Ellison said he believes "the evidence available to us now supports the stronger charge of second-degree murder," but said he could not discuss any details of the incident or how he and Freeman arrived at the new charges, saying the case is still under investigation and speaking out publicly too much might jeopardize a conviction. He asked anyone with evidence to come forward.
All four officers face a maximum charge of 40 years in prison under the most serious charges. (end) asf.hb