George Floyd, handcuffed on the ground as former Officer Derek Chauvin kneels on his neckFrom NBC News:
The Minneapolis police officer shown on video putting his knee on the neck of George Floyd has been arrested, according to Minnesota Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington.
Derek Chauvin, who was fired on Monday along with three other officers involved in the detainment of Floyd, was taken into custody Friday.
Video showed Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for at least eight minutes on Monday night. The police department initially said Floyd “physically resisted” the officers and that he died after “suffering medical distress.”
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the FBI are both investigating Floyd’s death.
Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced Friday afternoon.
In related news, the local ABC News affiliate KSTP reports Chauvin and Floyd both worked as security guards at the El Nuevo Rodeo club on Lake Street, according to Maya Santamaria. Santamaria owned the building for nearly two decades, but sold the venue within the last few months.
“Chauvin was our off-duty police for almost the entirety of the 17 years that we were open,” Santamaria said. “They were working together at the same time, it’s just that Chauvin worked outside and the security guards were inside.”
So, it’s difficult to imagine the two men didn’t know each other. And then to find themselves in this odd situation?
Something doesn’t add up here…