All four police officers involved in the death of Minnesota man George Floyd are now facing charges thanks to the civil unrest across the nation. The announcement was made by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, the replacement for Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman in the case.
Former officer Derek Chauvin, 44, who restricted the ability of Floyd to breathe by forcing his knee into his neck for nearly 10 minutes, will now be facing escalated charges of 2nd degree murder.
The other three officers, J. Alexander Kueng, 26, Thomas Lane, 37, and Tou Thao, 34, are charged with aiding and abetting murder.
Lane was the only officer that suggested that Chauvin place Floyd on his side after hearing Floyd say he couldn’t breathe. The other officers did not do anything to prevent Floyd’s death, but instead stood around as Floyd went unconscious. Their charges are punishable up to 10 years in prison.
Despite civil unrest, Ellison claims that the protests did not dictate the charges, but he relied on the law to make his determination.
“I did not allow public pressure to impact our decision-making process,” Ellison said. “We made these decisions based on the facts that we gathered since this matter occurred and made these charges based on the law that we think applies.”
Yet, as history shows, most police officers have eluded being arrested and charged in cases involving killed unarmed black people.
While protestors are hopeful with the progress that they believe the protests have caused, they are still demanding justice with actual convictions and prison time for the officers. In addition, protestors want policy reforms within police units across the U.S. to mitigate systemic racism.
Chauvin is currently being held at the Minnesota Department of Corrections facility in Oak Park on a $1 million bail. If convicted, he faces up to 40 years in prison.
