A protester with a sign with George Floyd's last words. Photo: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer involved in the killing of George Floyd, was charged Friday with third-degree murder and manslaughter, according to Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman.
The state of play: Freeman said that the delay in Chauvin's arrest, which came four days after Floyd's death on Monday, was due to the need to collect sufficient evidence — and that it was "by far the fastest" his office had charged a police officer. He added that he also anticipated charges against the other three officers involved in Floyd's arrest and death, but refused to elaborate.
- The complaint against Chauvin says that Floyd's autopsy did not "support a diagnosis of traumatic strangulation or asphyxiation," but noted that his underlying health conditions, the police restraint and any potential intoxicants in his system all "likely contributed to his death."
- It also noted that Chauvin had his knee on Floyd's neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds in total — two minutes and 53 seconds of that time was after Floyd was not responsive.
Read the full complaint against Chauvin: