Update 06/03/2020 8:44pm:
The other three officers involved in the murder of George Floyd have been charged and booked as of Wednesday evening. The former officers, Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng, were charged with aiding and abetting murder. Each of the men had bail set at $1 million according to Hennepin County Jail Records.
If convicted, all four former officers could receive a maximum 40-year prison sentence. Despite all four officers now being in custody, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison called on the public to remain patient due to the fact that charging and convicting police officers is near-impossible. "I feel a tremendous sense of weight, I feel that this is a very serious moment," said Ellison. "I can tell you I feel no joy in this, but I do feel a tremendous sense of duty and responsibility."
Ellison also explained why the prosecution believed a second-degree murder charge was an easier path toward conviction considering the burden on prosecutors to prove premeditation in a first-degree murder case.
Original 06/03/2020 2:54pm:
According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, David Chauvin, the now-former police officer who kneeled on George Floyd's neck until he was unresponsive, will have his charges upgraded to second-degree murder by Attorney General Keith Ellison. The other three officers involved in the incident, Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane — will also be charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.
This comes after Chauvin was arrested last Friday and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. Benjamin Crump, the attorney for Floyd's family, reacted to the news involving the four officers, stating, "This is a bittersweet moment for the family of George Floyd. We are deeply gratified that Attorney General Keith Ellison took decisive action in this case, arresting and charging all the officers involved in George Floyd's death and upgrading the charge against Derek Chauvin to felony second-degree murder."
Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune
