with Mr Floyd's murder
Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin has been charged with George Floyd's murder as the criminal complaint reveals he kept kneeling on the black man's neck for almost 3 minutes after he fell unconscious and said 'you're talking fine' when he begged for air
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced Chauvin was taken into custody by state investigators on Friday afternoon and was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter following nationwide protests and riots demanding the white officer's arrest.
The charges come a day after prosecutors had warned there was 'evidence that did not support criminal charges' in the case, saying they needed to prove Chauvin had used 'excessive' force on Floyd.
A criminal complaint on Friday shed light on the moments leading up to Floyd's death, revealing he was 'non-responsive' for almost three minutes before Chavin released him from under his knee.
- 'The defendant had his knee on Mr Floyd's neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds in total. Two minutes and 53 seconds of this was after Mr Floyd was non-responsive,' the report states
However, a preliminary autopsy did not find evidence of 'traumatic asphyxia or strangulation' and found Floyd may have died from being restrained as well as from underlying health conditions.
George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died on Memorial Day as he was arrested by four police officers over allegedly trying to buy cigarettes with a counterfeit $20 bill. He was seen in a video pleading that he couldn't breathe as white officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee against his neck
Protests broke out outside a home owned by fired officer Derek Chavin in Windermere, Florida on Friday
Protesters held up signs reading 'Black Lives Matter' and 'Justice for George Floyd' outside Chauvin's home in Florida
This comes the same day Chauvin has been charged with George Floyd's murder as it's revealed the disgraced cop had knelt on his neck for nearly three minutes after he lost consciousness
Minneapolis cop charged with third-degree murder of George Floyd
George Floyd's heartbroken family called for the four cops involved in his death to be charged with murder
Cop presses knee on George Floyd's neck until he's motionless
THE CRIMINAL COMPLAINT
The timeline of events reveals that Officers Lane and Kueng arrived on the scene first after responding to a 911 call of a man using a counterfeit $20 bill to buy goods from Cup Foods Deli.
They were directed to Floyd's car around the corner from the store where Floyd was sat in the driver's seat, a man was sat in the passenger seat and a woman in the back seat, the complaint states.
It details that Lane pulled his gun on Floyd before putting it away when Floyd showed his empty hands on the steering wheel of the car.
Lane then pulled Floyd from the car and handcuffed him. The complaint states that Floyd 'actively resisted' being handcuffed but then became compliant and walked with the cop to the sidewalk where he sat for two minutes and had a conversation with him.
Lane and Kueng then tried to walk Floyd to their squad car but Floyd 'stiffened up, fell to the ground, and told the officers he was claustrophobic', the complaint says.
Chauvin and Thoa arrived on the scene and the four officers tried to get Floyd into the squad car, it states, adding that Floyd 'struggled with the officers by intentionally falling down, saying he was not going in the car, and refusing to stand still'.
Floyd began telling the officers he could not breathe while standing outside the car, the report states.
Chauvin then tried to get Floyd into the passenger side of the car before pulling him out of the car moments later.
'My. Floyd went to the ground face down and still handcuffed. Kueng held Mr. Floyd's back and Lane held his legs. The defendant placed his left knee in the area of Mr. Floyd's head and neck,' it reads.
Floyd is heard saying 'I can't breathe', 'Mama' and 'please' multiple times but Chauvin, Kueng and Lane maintain their positions on his body and tell him 'You are talking fine', the report notes.
Lane then suggests rolling Floyd onto his side but Chauvin says 'No, staying put where we got him'.
'Officer Lane said, 'I am worried about excited delirium or whatever.' The defendant said , 'That's why we have him on his stomach.' None of the three officers moved from their positions,' the report adds.
Floyd then stops moving at 8:24:24 and at 8:25:31 he appears to stop breathing and speaking, it notes.
Lane again suggests rolling Floyd onto his side but none of the cops move position. Kueng checked his right wrist for a pulse and said 'I couldn't find one' but all the officers maintained their position, the report adds.
Chauvin finally moved his knee from Floyd's neck at 8:27:24 and he was taken away in an ambulance, 8 minutes and 46 seconds after he first held it on his neck and two minutes and 53 seconds after Floyd became unresponsive, the complaint states.
Freeman on Friday highlighted the 'extraordinary speed' in charging the case just four days after Floyd died, but also defended himself against questions about why it did not happen sooner.
As for the other three officers who were fired alongside Chauvin over Floyd's death - J Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao - Freeman said the investigation is ongoing and prosecutors chose to focus on the 'most dangerous perpetrator'.
The criminal complaint details the events leading up to Floyd's death and lays out the charges that have finally been brought against Chauvin following four days of bubbling anger that the suspected murderer could walk free.
It reveals that Floyd had stopped struggling under the grip of the officers for more than a minute before he then stopped speaking and breathing.
It was then another two minutes later that Chauvin finally moved his knee from Floyd's neck.
At one point, when Floyd was still talking and breathing, one of the other officers suggested moving Floyd into a different position but Chauvin refused, telling them they were 'staying put', the complaint states.
It also says that after Floyd passed out, one of the officers checked and found no pulse, but still none of the three officers holding him down - Chauvin, Lane and Kueng - moved from their positions pinning him to the floor - or began giving him medical assistance.
The murder charge states that Chauvin caused Floyd's death 'by perpetrating an act eminently dangerous to others and evincing a depraved mind, without regard for human life'.
Chauvin also faces a second degree manslaughter charge citing that his 'culpable negligence' led to Floyd's death.
The preliminary results of the autopsy found 'no physical findings that support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation' and that Floyd had underlying health conditions including 'coronary artery disease and hypertensive heart disease'.
It concludes that Floyd died from the 'combined effects' of him 'being restrained by the police, his underlying health conditions and any potential intoxicants in his system'.
Chauvin faces up to 35 years in prison if convicted - a 25 year maximum sentence for murder and a 10 year maximum sentence for manslaughter.
Calls are now mounting for the other three officers to be charged over Floyd's death, with protesters in Minneapolis taking to the streets chanting 'One down, three to go' and 'all four got to go' following the news.
In widely circulated footage, Floyd was seen on the ground with his hands cuffed behind his back as Chauvin pinned him to the pavement until he lost consciousness and later died.
Floyd family attorney Ben Crump, who was among the first to call for criminal charges to be laid against Chauvin in the wake of Floyd's death, said the move is 'a welcome but overdue step on the road to justice' and demanded he be tried for murder in the first degree.
Gov Walz called Friday for order to be restored in the streets after the third devastating night of protests Thursday left the city in ruin
National Guard on the streets of Minneapolis Friday. Chauvin was taken into custody by state investigators on Friday afternoon and was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter following nationwide protests and riots demanding the white officer's arrest
A criminal complaint on Friday shed light on the moments leading up to Floyd's death, revealing he was 'non-responsive' for almost three minutes before Chavin released him from under his knee
A fatal shooting and lawsuit for excessive force: What we know about the four officers fired for George Floyd's arrest
Toles was wounded after police said he went for an officer's gun and Chauvin shot him.
That same year Chauvin was handed a medal of valor for 'his response in an incident involving a man armed with a gun.'
But in 2011 23-year-old Leroy Martinez was shot and injured during a chase given by officers including Chauvin.
Chauvin was arrested Friday - four days after Floyd's death - and charged with third degree murder and manslaughter.
Tou Thao
Tou Thao, was part of a $25,000 out of court settlement after being sued for using excessive force in 2017
A lawsuit obtained by the DailyMail.com shows Thao was sued for using excessive force in arrest where he was accused of punching and kicking a handcuffed suspect 'until his teeth broke'.
The remaining two officers have been identified as Thomas Lane and J Alexander Kueng.
Both were reportedly rookie cops who were still in their probationary periods.
Thao, Lane and Kueng do not currently face charges.
'We expected a first-degree murder charge. We want a first-degree murder charge. And we want to see the other officers arrested,' Crump said in a statement.
'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.'
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who had publicly called for Chauvin's arrest earlier this week, called the decision to charge him an 'essential first step.'
'For our black community who have, for centuries, been forced to endure injustice in a world simply unwilling to correct or acknowledge it: I know that whatever hope you feel today is tempered with skepticism and a righteous outrage,' Frey added.
US Attorney General William Barr meanwhile said he is 'confident justice will be served', calling the videos of Floyd's death 'harrowing to watch and deeply disturbing.'
The Justice Department and FBI are investigating whether federal civil rights laws were broken.
The charges come after three days of riots and protests that erupted across Minneapolis - and several states - demanding justice for 46-year-old Floyd that have left the city in ruins and led the state of Minnesota to take over the response.
Protesters have been running rampant for the past three nights in a show of outrage that has seen a suspected looter shot dead in the street, a Minneapolis police precinct stormed and set alight, and the city up in flames as businesses and stores were looted and torched.
Amid fears that the chaos is entering a fourth night, the twin cities of Minnesota imposed curfews starting at 8p.m. tonight in efforts to bring the rioting and destruction under control.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey announced a nighttime curfew barring anyone other than essential workers and public safety personnel from being in public places across the city from 8p.m. through to 6 a.m. local time and lasting for the weekend.
St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter followed suit with a matching citywide curfew as he declared a state of emergency for the city, after 170 businesses were destroyed when protests turned violent Thursday night.
The city of Roseville - which shares borders with both of the twin cities - followed with its own emergency declaration and curfew.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz on Friday admitted an 'abject failure' by law enforcement in trying to control crowds Thursday night.
On Thursday, as tensions in the city boiled all day, the National Guard started putting in motion plans to intervene to help local law enforcement agencies that were struggling to cope with the mounting threat.
But they weren't given the order to act quickly enough, according to officials who spoke at a press conference on Friday, and it led to a night of chaos that climaxed with the Third Police Precinct being set on fire.
President Trump had threatened to 'assume control' of Minneapolis with military intervention, warning 'thugs' 'when the looting starts the shooting starts', in a tweet that was flagged by Twitter for 'glorifying violence.'
Trump tried to clarify his comments following Chauvin's arrest in another tweet saying he intended to call for peace on the streets to avoid further deaths.
'Looting leads to shooting, and that's why a man was shot and killed in Minneapolis on Wednesday night - or look at what just happened in Louisville with 7 people shot. I don't want this to happen, and that's what the expression put out last night means....
'It was spoken as a fact, not as a statement. It's very simple, nobody should have any problem with this other than the haters, and those looking to cause trouble on social media. Honor the memory of George Floyd!'
The message followed an earlier tweet in which Trump urged to 'REVOKE 230!' after signing an executive order Thursday seeking to strip social media giants of their legal protections, potentially exposing them to a flood of lawsuits.
Twitter would flagged the president's incendiary tweet hours after he announced the order.
Walz told reporters earlier that Trump's tweets were 'not helpful'.
'I did speak to the President. At that point in time, it was in the process where I said we were going to assume control of this and it was unnecessary,' he said.
Governor Walz said the state would take over the response and asked citizens to show respect and dignity to those who are suffering.
'Minneapolis and St. Paul are on fire. The fire is still smoldering in our streets. The ashes are symbolic of decades and generations of pain, of anguish unheard,' Walz said, adding. 'Now generations of pain is manifesting itself in front of the world - and the world is watching.'
The governor cited a call he received from a state senator who described her district 'on fire, no police, no firefighters, no social control, constituents locked in houses wondering what they were going to do. That is an abject failure that cannot happen.'
'We have to restore order...before we turn back to where we should be spending our energy - making sure that justice is served,' he said.
'We cannot have the looting and the recklessness that went on [last night].'
His comments came the morning after protesters torched a police station that officers abandoned during a third night of violence.
Livestream video showed protesters entering the building, where intentionally set fires activated smoke alarms and sprinklers.
The governor faced tough questions after National Guard leader Major Gen. Jon Jensen blamed a lack of clarity about the Guard´s mission for a slow response.
Walz said the state was in a supporting role and that it was up to city leaders to run the situation.
Walz said it became apparent as the 3rd Precinct was lost that the state had to step in, which happened at 12:05 a.m. Requests from the cities for resources 'never came,' he said.
'You will not see that tonight, there will be no lack of leadership,' Walz said
On Friday morning, nearly every building in the shopping district around the abandoned police station had been vandalized, burned or looted.
National Guard members were in the area, with several of them lined up, keeping people away from the police station.
Dozens of volunteers swept up broken glass in the street, doing what they could to help.
Protesters face off with Minnesota State Police officers on Friday in Minneapolis, Minnesota
The criminal complaint against Chauvin details how he pinned down Floyd by his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds - 2 minutes and 53 seconds of which Floyd was already 'non-responsive'
'He sometimes had a real short fuse and he seemed afraid,' she said.
'When there was an altercation he always resorted to pulling out his mace and pepper spraying everybody right away, even if I felt it was unwarranted.'
The outcry has now reached his front door, as angry protesters drew in chalk on the road and sidewalk outside the couple's $260,000 home in Oakdale: 'A murderer lives here'.
On Thursday evening it was revealed Floyd had actually worked with Chauvin as security guards at the El Nuevo Rodeo club, the cub owner confirmed. 'Chauvin was our off-duty police for almost the entirety of the 17 years that we were open,' Maya Santamaria (pictured)
Santamaria said that she is not sure if the two men knew each other since there were some two dozen security guards, including off-duty officers, working at her club on any given night.
But she revealed there were occasions when they would have been working at the same event. 'They were working together at the same time, it's just that Chauvin worked outside and the security guards were inside.'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... stody.html