Floyd's
family and their attorney, Benjamin Crump, are upset Chauvin wasn't charged
with a more serious offense.
The mayor of
Minneapolis imposed a curfew Friday after the county prosecutor charged the
fired Minneapolis police officer seen in a video with his knee on George
Floyd's neck with third-degree murder.
Derek Chauvin
also faces a charge of second-degree manslaughter.
Floyd’s
family said…
"We
expected a first-degree murder charge. We want a first-degree murder charge.
And we want to see the other officers arrested," Crump and the family said
in a statement. "We call on authorities to revise the charges to reflect
the true culpability of this officer."
Chauvin had
his knee on Floyd's neck for 8 minutes, 46 seconds in total, and 2 minutes, 53
seconds after Floyd was unresponsive, according to a criminal complaint filed Friday.
The death of
Floyd has led to protests in cities across the nation and questions about the
justice system when Americans of color are killed by police. There have been
multiple protests with looting, fires and property damage in the Twin Cities,
and the Minnesota governor, while acknowledging "visceral pain," has
called for order.
The curfew is
set to begin at 8 p.m. CT on Friday and last until Saturday at 6 a.m. The
curfew will be in effect for Saturday evening as well, according to an
emergency resolution signed by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.
The
neighboring city of St. Paul imposed a similar curfew for Friday beginning at 8
p.m. CT, according to St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter.
Chauvin and
three other officers detained Floyd in handcuffs Monday after he allegedly used
a counterfeit bill at a convenience store, police have said. Outrage grew in
the form of protests after a video surfaced showing a Minneapolis police
officer kneeling on Floyd's neck. The 46-year-old, who was unarmed, cried out
that he couldn't breathe.
Hennepin
County Attorney Mike Freeman said charges against the other three officers are
likely.
"We
entrust our police officers to use certain amounts of force to do their job to
protect us. They commit a criminal act if they use this force
unreasonably," he said.
The criminal
complaint says, "Derek Michael Chauvin caused the death of George Floyd by
perpetrating an act eminently dangerous to others and evincing a depraved mind
without regard for human life."
If convicted
of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, Chauvin would face up to
25 years in prison on the first charge and up to 10 years on the second.
The evidence
in the case includes a cell phone video of the incident, body worn cameras,
witness statements, a preliminary report from medical examiner, and discussions
with an expert, Freeman said.
The
preliminary autopsy report found "no physical findings that support a
diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation," according to the
criminal complaint released by the Hennepin County Attorney's Office.
The report
added: "The combined effects of Mr. Floyd being restrained by the police,
his underlying health conditions and any potential intoxicants in his system
likely contributed to his death."
CNN Chief
Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta cautioned that the absence of physical
evidence doesn't necessarily mean Floyd didn't die from asphyxiation.
Gupta also
said that an officer should have started CPR after one of them told the others
he couldn't find a pulse.
Chauvin was
arrested and taken into custody Friday by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal
Apprehension, according to Minnesota Department of Public Safety Commissioner
John Harrington.
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