George Floyd’s Family Demand Derek Chauvin Be Charged With First-Degree Murder
Published
The family of George Floyd have called for former police officer Derek Chauvin to be charged with first-degree murder.
Disturbing footage taken on Monday, May 25, shows Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck while trying to arrest him, despite Floyd’s protests that he couldn’t breathe.
After a few minutes, Floyd became unresponsive and an ambulance arrived to take him to hospital. It was later announced he had died.
The four officers involved in the arrest have since been fired, and yesterday, May 29, Chauvin was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter, with his bail set at $500,000.
There have been no conditions set for Chauvin’s release, and the criminal complaint filed against him doesn’t indicate whether Chauvin is out on bail, CNN reports.
Minnesota Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington described the four-day turnaround in charging Chauvin as ‘extraordinary’, though Floyd’s family have argued the charges are insufficient.
In a statement released through their civil rights attorney, Benjamin Crump, the family said:
The arrest of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the brutal killing of George Floyd is a welcome but overdue step on the road to justice. We expected a first-degree murder charge. We want a first-degree murder charge.
We call on authorities to revise the charges to reflect the true culpability of this officer.
Though there were four officers involved in Floyd’s arrest, only Chauvin has been charged with murder. As well as changing Chauvin’s murder charge to first-degree, the family believe the other three officers should also be arrested.
Under Minnesota statutes, cited by NBC News, first-degree murder is defined as a slaying that includes ‘premeditation and with intent to effect the death of the person or of another.’ Charging Chauvin with first degree murder would suggest he purposefully set out to kill Floyd.
Second-degree murder is often applied to drive-by shootings or other killings where the offender is ‘intentionally inflicting or attempting to inflict bodily harm upon the victim.’
Third-degree murder means an offender did not mean to kill the victim, but that the person died as a result of the offender ‘perpetrating an act eminently dangerous to others and evincing a depraved mind, without regard for human life.’
This charge suggests Chauvin was not intending to kill Floyd, but that his death was the result of Chauvin’s ‘dangerous act’ of kneeling on his neck and preventing him from breathing.
State documents explaining Chauvin’s charge read:
Derek Michael Chauvin caused the death of George Floyd by his culpable negligence, creating an unreasonable risk and taking a chance of causing death or great bodily harm to George Floyd.
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman has said he anticipates more charges to come, both against Chauvin and potentially against the other three officers, as the investigation into Floyd’s death continues.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact Stop Hate UK by visiting their website www.stophateuk.org/talk.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677.
Topics: News, Arrest, Derek Chauvin, George Floyd, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Murder, Now, Racism
