Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, the man who put his knee on George Floyd’s neck, has been arrested in connection to Floyd’s death.
What We Know:
- John Mark Harrington, the Minnesota department of public safety commissioner, announced the news shortly after a press conference regarding the Minneapolis protests.
- Harrington did not mention specific charges filed against Chauvin, and it’s unclear whether the three other officers who were also fired after Floyd’s death will be arrested.
- Minnesota senator, Amy Klobuchar, confirmed the arrest of Derek Chauvin in connection to the death of George Floyd and is in the custody of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Police officer Derek Chauvin has been arrested and is in custody for the murder of George Floyd. The first step towards justice.
— Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) May 29, 2020
- Klobuchar called Chauvin’s arrest “the first step towards justice.” She has been criticized for not prosecuting police officers involved in fatal encounters while she was serving as Hennepin county attorney.
- Breaking news reporter for the Guardian, Kenya Evelyn, reported that Klobuchar was the Hennepin county attorney at the time of an October 2006 police shooting involving Chauvin, and that she did not prosecute and instead the case went to a grand jury that declined to charge the officers with wrongdoing in 2008.
In an interview with MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell, Klobuchar said it was “absolutely false” she declined to prosecute Chauvin.
