Three more officers to be charged in George Floyd’s death

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The three other officers on the scene when a member of the Minneapolis police force pressed his knee on George Floyd’s neck are being charged with aiding and abetting a murder, and the murder case against the main officer is being upgraded to second-degree, a newspaper reported Wednesday.

The Star Tribune, citing multiple unnamed law enforcement sources, said Derek Chauvin would face the more serious charge in the death of George Floyd, who was handcuffed on the ground.

Three other officers at the scene — Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao — were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder, the newspaper reported, again citing sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.

All four of the officers had already been fired.

The new charges were to be filed by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison.

Earl Gray, who represents Lane, told The Associated Press that the Star Tribune report “is accurate.”

The move powerfully punctuated an unprecedented week in modern American history, in which largely peaceful wide-scale protests took place in communities of all sizes but were rocked by bouts of violence, including deadly attacks on officers, rampant thefts and arson in some places.

Earlier Wednesday, in a visit to a makeshift shrine at the street corner where Floyd died, his family had again called for the arrests of Lane, Kueng and Thao, a demand echoed by their attorney.

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