Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis officer shown pressing his knee into George Floyd’s neck, is now being charged with second-degree murder. Former officers Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao, are being charged with aiding and abetting, CNN reports.
According to The New York Times, Minnesota’s attorney general of Minnesota, Keith Ellison, announced the charges at a news conference Wednesday afternoon. Kueng, Lane and Thao face charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.
Kueng, 26, was taken into custody on Wednesday, according to county jail records. Warrants were issued for Lane, 37, and Thao, 34. In the video Kueng and Lane can be seen restraining Floyd. Thao is later seen standing by as Chauvin presses his knee into Floyd’s neck.
Chauvin, 44, was initially charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. He now faces second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter charges. According to The New York Times, the second-degree murder charges require prosecutors to prove either that Mr. Chauvin intended to kill Mr. Floyd, or that he did so while committing another felony. Second-degree murder is punishable by up to 40 years in prison.
Lane, Kueng and Thao now face up to 40 years in prison if found guilty of aiding and abetting second-degree murder. They face up to 10 years in prison if found guilty of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.
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“This is a bittersweet moment,” Ben Crump, a lawyer for Mr. Floyd’s family, said in a statement. “This is a significant step forward on the road toward 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.”
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