Minnesota AG: All four arresting officers face increased charges for death of George Floyd

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Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis officer shown pressing his knee into George Floyd’s neck, is now being charged with second-degree murder. Former officers Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao, are being charged with aiding and abetting, CNN reports.

Minnesota attorney general Keith Ellison announced the charges at a news conference Wednesday afternoon. Kueng, Lane and Thao face charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.

Kueng, 26, was taken into custody on Wednesday, according to county jail records. Warrants were issued for Lane, 37, and Thao, 34. In the video Kueng and Lane can be seen restraining Floyd. Thao is later seen standing by as Chauvin presses his knee into Floyd’s neck.

Chauvin, 44, was initially charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. He now faces second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter charges. According to The New York Times, the second-degree murder charges require prosecutors to prove either that Mr. Chauvin intended to kill Mr. Floyd, or that he did so while committing another felony. Second-degree murder is punishable by up to 40 years in prison.

Lane, Kueng and Thao now face up to 40 years in prison if found guilty of aiding and abetting second-degree murder. They face up to 10 years in prison if found guilty of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.

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Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced new charges in the death of George Floyd.

The presence of Thao, a Hmong American, during the arrest and death of Floyd, has raised a national debate among Asian Americans and their relationship with the Black community. 

Much of the discussion on social debate called for Asian Americans to support the call for equal justice and police reform.  Floyd’s death came six weeks after police in Louisville, Kentucky, fatally shot Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old black woman, during a midnight “no-knock” raid on her home. It came 10 weeks after the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old black man, who was chased down by a white father and son in a pickup truck as he jogged in his neighborhood in Glynn County, Georgia.

“This is a bittersweet moment,” Ben Crump, a lawyer for Mr. Floyd’s family, said in a statement. “This is a significant step forward on the road toward justice, and we are gratified that this important action was brought before George Floyd’s body was laid to rest. That is a source of peace for George’s family in this painful time.”

VIEWS FROM THE EDGE contributed to this report.