From Fox News:
A federal grand jury in Minnesota has voted to indict the four former Minneapolis police officers involved in the May 25, 2020, arrest of George Floyd, according to indictments unsealed Friday.
The three-count indictment names Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao. Specifically, Chauvin, Thao and Kueng are charged with violating Floyd’s right to be free from unreasonable seizure and excessive force. All four officers are charged for their failure to provide Floyd with medical care. Chauvin was also charged in a second indictment, stemming from the arrest and neck restraint of a 14-year-old boy in 2017.
Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Kueng appeared via videoconference in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis. Chauvin was not part of the court appearance.
Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, died after Chauvin, who is White, held his knee against Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes — as Floyd was handcuffed and face-down on the pavement and despite his repeated shouts that he could not breathe.
Ben Crump, Antonio Romanucci and L. Chris Stewart, members of Floyd’s civil legal team, said Friday that the news “reinforces the strength and wisdom of the United States Constitution.
“The Constitution claims to be committed to life, liberty and justice, and we are seeing this realized in the justice George Floyd continues to receive. This comes after hundreds of years of American history in which Black Americans unfortunately did not receive equal justice,” the trio said in a statement.
Read the full report here.
AMERICA WAITS: Minneapolis on Edge as City Waits for Verdict in Trial of Derek Chauvin
Closing arguments are now underway in the Minneapolis trial of Derek Chauvin, the former police officer charged with second-degree murder in the death of George Floyd.
“Floyd’s death, and the shocking video of the events leading up to it, caused national and global outrage. Now there are fears of unrest if Chauvin is acquitted — an outcome that Black Americans, in particular, would see as evidence of a system egregiously biased against them,” reports The Hill.
BREAKING: NBC News Special Report: Prosecution begins closing arguments in Derek Chauvin's murder trial in George Floyd's death.
Latest: https://t.co/VIWzksyCtf https://t.co/MygQmf15S9
— NBC News (@NBCNews) April 19, 2021
Prosecution tells jury to reject Derek Chauvin’s “nonsense” claims that George Floyd suddenly died from a drug overdose, heart disease or exhaust fumes from the police car.
“Use your common sense. Believe your eyes. What you saw, you saw.” pic.twitter.com/CNd89KbKqG
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) April 19, 2021
“The Chauvin verdict is set to play out against the backdrop of the deaths of 20-year-old Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center, Minn., just 11 miles from the site of Floyd’s death; and of Adam Toledo, a 13-year-old, in Chicago,” adds the outlet.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
BREAKING NOW: Jury Reaches a Verdict in the Trial of Derek Chauvin, Announcement Soon
From Fox News:
The jury in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has reached a verdict on its second day of deliberations.
Minnesota remains on edge as jury deliberations continued Tuesday before deciding the fate of Chauvin, who is charged in the death of George Floyd.
More than 3,000 National Guard soldiers, along with state and local police officers, sheriff’s deputies and other law enforcement personnel have flooded Minneapolis in recent days, with a verdict looming in the Chauvin trial, and following the fatal police shooting of 20-year-old Daunte Wright in the nearby city of Brooklyn Center.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys ended closing arguments in the Chauvin trial Monday after making their cases to jurors following weeks of testimony amid nationwide concerns over potential unrest that could follow once a verdict is reached.
Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill said the court is in recess, “until we hear from the jury.” Jury deliberation could take hours, days or weeks. The jury consists of six White people and six people who are Black or multiracial.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.