Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced Wednesday that the other three officers who assisted in the arrest of George Floyd are facing criminal charges, according to multiple reports. Floyd was killed when former officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on Floyd’s neck, which was caught on video.
BREAKING: Attorney General Keith Ellison to elevate charges against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin to second-degree murder; three other officers to be charged with aiding and abetting murder, sources say. https://t.co/NTBkdBH4Oo
— Star Tribune (@StarTribune) June 3, 2020
Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng, and Thomas Lane will face charges of aiding and abetting a second-degree murder, according to the Star Tribune. Thao was reportedly recorded watching Chauvin — the now-fired officer who was charged with 2nd-degree murder — kneeling on Floyd’s kneck and spoke to bystanders pleading with the officer to stop. (RELATED: Charges Against Ex-Cop Derek Chauvin Elevated To 2nd-Degree Murder In George Floyd Case)
Kueng was one of the first officers on the scene and helped pin Floyd down. Lane was detailed in earlier charges as pointing a gun at Floyd before handcuffing him, and later asked whether officers should roll Floyd on his side as he was restrained, said the Star Tribune. In a press conference, Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, confirmed one of those officers is now in police custody.
Separate autopsies of Floyd revealed that he died from homicide. Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo fired the four officers and said they were “complicit” in Floyd’s death, according to CNN.
@AttorneyCrump, the legal team, & the family of #GeorgeFloyd have released the following statement about the arrest of the other three MPD officers involved in the death of George Floyd and the addition of a felony second-degree murder charge against fired officer Derek Chauvin. pic.twitter.com/t0bsDyc1fq
— Ben Crump Law, PLLC (@BenCrumpLaw) June 3, 2020
Benjamin Krump, an attorney for Floyd’s family, said the reported news that the other 3 officers are going to be charged is “bittersweet.”
“These officers knew they could act with impunity, given the Minneapolis Police Department’s widespread and prolonged pattern and practice of violating people’s constitutional rights,” the statement reads. “This is a significant step forward on the road to justice, and we are gratified that this important action was brought before George Floyd’s body was laid to rest. That is a source of peace for George’s family in this painful time.”