Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison toughened to
second-degree murder the charge against a Minneapolis police officer fired for
the death of an unarmed black man and filed charges against three other
officers in a case he has brought more than a week of protests in the United
States.
George Floyd, 46, died after Derek Chauvin, a white cop,
knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes on May 25, rekindling the explosive
theme of police brutality against African-Americans five months before the
presidential election. from November 3.
Chauvin, 44, was fired and charged last week with
third-degree murder and second-degree murder.
Second-degree murder, the new charge, can carry a sentence
of up to 40 years, 15 years more than the maximum sentence for third-degree
murder.
The other three implicated in the incident - Thomas Lane, J.
Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao - will be charged with aiding and abetting the
murder, according to an Ellison presentation to court.
Lawyers for the other three officers who can be charged did
not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Protesters have demanded over the past week that they also
be charged in the case, with protests that have sometimes led to widespread
vandalism and looting in big cities. (Reuters)
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