[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Haeyoung] A police officer who pressed his knee on the neck of an unarmed Black man in Minneapolis, Minnesota, causing his death, has been charged with murder.
According to major foreign media on the 29th (local time), Mike Freeman, Hennepin County Attorney of Minnesota, charged former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin with third-degree murder and manslaughter. Chauvin was arrested and detained on the same day.
Chauvin is the person who pressed his knee on the neck of George Floyd, a Black man who died during the arrest by police officers on the 25th. Police responded to a report of counterfeit bills used at a convenience store on the 25th and arrested Floyd as a suspect. During this process, Chauvin pressed his knee on Floyd's neck while Floyd was handcuffed and lying face down, and Floyd pleaded, "I can't breathe. Please don't kill me." A bystander at the scene recorded a 10-minute video of this incident and posted it online, bringing the case to public attention.
According to the prosecution's indictment, Chauvin pressed his knee on Floyd's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds and did not remove his knee for another 2 minutes and 53 seconds even after Floyd lost consciousness. Floyd was eventually taken to the hospital after bleeding from the nose but ultimately died.
Currently, all four police officers, including Chauvin, have been dismissed.
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