Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin has been arrested in the death of George Floyd. He is charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. Chauvin is reportedly the officer seen in the video with his knee on George Floyd’s neck.
So far, he is the only officer in custody. But Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said he anticipates charges against the other officers as well, “The investigation is ongoing. We felt it appropriate to focus on the most dangerous perpetrator.”
Freeman said it normally takes a lot longer to bring charges against a police officer due to the burden of proof, “this case has moved with extraordinary speed.”
“We have evidence. We have the citizen’s cameras, videos, the horrible, horrific terrible thing we’ve all seen over and over again. We have the officer’s body worn camera. We have statements from some witnesses. We have a preliminary report from the medical examiner. We have discussions with an expert. All of that has come together so we felt in our professional judgment, it was time to charge and we have so done.”