George Floyd Death: Former Cop Derek Chauvin​ Charged With Murder

MINNEAPOLIS — Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was charged Friday with third-degree murder and manslaughter in connection with the death of George Floyd after his arrest Monday.

Chauvin is the officer who was seen with his knee on Floyd's neck during the arrest. Floyd, 46, later died after saying that he was struggling to breathe during the arrest, video shows.

Bystanders were heard telling Chauvin to get off Floyd.

"This is by far the fastest we've ever charged a police officer," Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced at a news conference Friday.

Agents with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension arrested Chauvin at 11:44 a.m. Friday.

"This remains an active and ongoing investigation," the BCA said in a statement. "The BCA continues to work in partnership with the FBI to gather all facts and information related to this case."

Floyd's death sparked three subsequent nights of protests, each more violent and destructive than the last. Dozens of businesses on Lake Street and elsewhere in Minneapolis have been burned and looted. Protests also have occurred in other cities across the nation.

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Floyd's family and the attorney retained by them, Ben Crump, issued the following statement after Chauvin's arrest:

"The arrest of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the brutal killing of George Floyd is a welcome but overdue step on the road to justice. We expected a first-degree murder charge. We want a first-degree murder charge. And we want to see the other officers arrested. We call on authorities to revise the charges to reflect the true culpability of this officer. The pain that the black community feels over this murder and what it reflects about the treatment of black people in America is raw and is spilling out onto streets across America.

"While this is a right and necessary step, we need the City of Minneapolis – and cities across the country – to fix the policies and training deficiencies that permitted this unlawful killing – and so many others – to occur.

"For four officers to inflict this kind of unnecessary, lethal force – or watch it happen – despite outcry from witnesses who were recording the violence -- demonstrates a breakdown in training and policy by the City. We fully expect to see the other officers who did nothing to protect the life of George Floyd to be arrested and charged soon.

"Today, George Floyd’s family is having to explain to his children why their father was executed by police on video. It’s essential that the City closely examines and changes its policing policies and training procedures to correct for the lack of proper field supervision; the use of appropriate, non-lethal restraint techniques; the ability to recognize medical signs associated with the restriction of airflow, and the legal duty to seek emergency medical care and stop a civil rights violation."

Chauvin and three other officers involved in the fatal incident were fired Tuesday.

According to the probable cause statement supporting Chauvin's arrest, two police officers — Thomas Lane and J.A. Kueng — responded to a call Monday night at 8:08 p.m. after a 911 call reported that a man paid with a fake $20 bill at a Cup Foods.

Bodycam footage showed the two cops approaching Floyd's car, Lane on the driver's side and and Kueng on the passenger side, the complaint says. Floyd was in the driver's seat of the car and two others were in the car as well.

Lane pointed his gun at Floyd's window and put it away after Floyd put his hands on the steering wheel, the complaint says. Lane ordered Floyd out of the car, put his hands on him and pulled him out of the car, the complaint says. He then handcuffed Floyd and Floyd "actively resisted," the complaint says.

Floyd walked with the cop to the sidewalk and sat on the ground at the officer's direction, the complaint says.

The complaints says at 8:14 p.m., Kueng and Lane attempted to walk Floyd to the squad car but he stiffened up, fell to the ground and said he was claustrophobic. That's when officers Derek Chauvin and Tou Thoa arrived.

After trying to get Floyd into the backseat of the squad car, Floyd didn't voluntarily get inside and stuggled before intentionally falling down, saying he was not going in the car and refused to stand still, the complaint says. That's when Floyd started to say he could not breathea and Chauvin went to the passenger side to get Floyd into the car while the other three cops helped, the complaint says.

At 8:19 p.m., Chauvin pulled Floyd out of the passenger side of the car and Floyd fell to the ground face down and handcuffed, the complaint says. Kueng held Floyd's back while Lane held his legs when Chauvin placed his left knee on Floyd's head and neck, the complaint says.

"I can't breathe," "Mama," "Please," Floyd repeatedly said but all officers stayed in their position, the complaint says.

Lane asked if they should roll Floyd on his side when Chauvin said no, according to the complaint.

At 8:24 p.m., Floyd stopped moving and just over a minute later, he appeared to stop speaking and breathing, according to the complaint.

"I couldn't find one," Kueng says, according to the complaint, after he tried to check for a pulse on Floyd.

Chauvin took his knee of Floyd's neck at 8:27 p.m., the complaint says.

While the medical examiner's complaint is still pending, the preliminary findings say the combined effects of Floyd being restrained, his underlying health conditions and any potential intoxicants led to his death.

Chauvin had his knee on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes and for nearly three of those minutes, Floyd was unresponsive, the complaint says.

"Police are trained that this type of restraint with a subject in a prone position is inherently dangerous," the complaint states.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey quickly condemned the officers involved.

"Being black in America should not be a death sentence," Frey stated Tuesday.

"For five minutes, we watched a white officer press his knee into a black man's neck. Five minutes. When you hear someone calling for help, you're supposed to help. This officer failed in the most basic, human sense. What happened on Chicago and 38th last night is awful. It was traumatic. It serves as a reminder of how far we have to go."

Last year, former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor was found guilty of second-degree manslaughter and third-degree murder. Noor fatally shot 40-year-old bride-to-be Justine Ruszczyk Damond — originally from Sydney, Australia — on July 15, 2017, in Minneapolis.

This is a breaking news story. Stay with Patch as more information is made available.