Derek Chauvin: Police Officer Filmed Kneeling On George Floyd's Neck Charged With Murder

The death of an unarmed Black man after being knelt on during arrest has sparked days of rioting across the US.
Protesters gather at the scene where George Floyd, an unarmed black man, was pinned down by a police officer kneeling on his neck before later dying in hospital.
Protesters gather at the scene where George Floyd, an unarmed black man, was pinned down by a police officer kneeling on his neck before later dying in hospital.
Eric Miller / Reuters

The Minnesota police officer filmed kneeling on the neck of a man who later died in custody has been charged with murder.

George Floyd’s death on Monday night in Minneapolis sparked violent protests across the US, pitting protesters against police in a number of major cities.

Video taken by a bystander showed the 46-year-old pleading that he could not breathe as a white officer, later named as Derek Chauvin, knelt on his neck.

Minnesota’s public safety commissioner announced Chauvin had been taken into custody on Friday evening and was later charged with third-degree murder.

Derek Chauvin has now officially been taken into custody, according to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. He is the officer seen with his knee on George Floyd’s neck. #GeorgeFloyd

— Omar Jimenez (@OmarJimenez) May 29, 2020

Chauvin and four other officers involved in the incident were fired on earlier this week.

Earlier on Friday, Minnesota governor Tim Walz called for an end to the violent protests that have rocked Minneapolis and said the state’s National Guard would work to restore order following three nights of arson, looting and vandalism.

Walz also said he expected “swift” justice for the officers involved and promised a reckoning with the racial inequities behind the unrest triggered by Floyd’s death.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated. Follow HuffPost UK on Twitter here, and on Facebook here.

Close

What's Hot