George Floyd protests: US braced for more unrest despite officer being charged

America was on tenterhooks on Friday night as the violence spiralled across the country in the wake of protests over the death of an unarmed black man in Minneapolis, filmed gasping for breath as a white policeman pinned him to the ground.

The death of George Floyd, 46, on Monday night has sparked three days of mass protests in the midwestern city. On Thursday, they spread across Chicago, New York, Denver, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Florida, New Mexico, Texas and California.

Tension in the US remained high despite the decision to charge Derek Chauvin, the officer caught on video with his knee on Mr Floyd’s neck, with third-degree murder and manslaughter.

The arrest of Chauvin was welcomed by Mr Floyd's family, who described it as a welcome but overdue step on the road to justice."

In a separate move, US Attorney General Bill Barr announced that the Justice Department is to investigate Mr Floyd’s death.

It came with Police forces across the US on alert, fearing that the backlash would be felt even more widely.

An 8pm curfew was announced in Minneapolis, the night after protesters set a police station alight and much of the city was turned into a burning wasteland. Looting was rife.

The police station was also the focus of the first protests. It is close to where Mr Floyd was captured on a bystander’s camera pleading "I can't breathe" as an officer held his knee into his neck until he became motionless.

Dozens of fires were also set in nearby St Paul, where nearly 200 businesses were damaged or looted. Many had put up handmade signs early on in the night, asking to be spared. “This is a BLACK-OWNED BUSINESS,” read one. “This is COMMUNITY-OWNED BUSINESS,” said another.

Donald Trump threatened action, saying: "when the looting starts, the shooting starts" in a tweet that prompted a warning from Twitter for "glorifying violence." His tweet echoed the words of a Miami police chief in 1967 when he sent in officers to quash black protestors.

Mr Trump criticised Minneapolis' Democratic mayor, Jacob Frey, for a "total lack of leadership" and warned he would bring the situation "under control". Mr Frey defended the city's lack of engagement with looters, saying it had become too dangerous for officers.

The president also tweeted "our Nation's deepest condolences and most heartfelt sympathies to the family of George Floyd".

Mr Trump on Friday revealed that he had talked to family members of Mr Floyd, saying he expressed his “sorrow” and could see “very much” that they loved their relative.

The president said “we all saw what we saw” when speaking about the video footage of how police arrested Mr Floyd, saying that what happened was “horrible”.

He also offered some views on the case, saying that it looks to him like there was “no excuse” for Mr Floyd’s death while in police custody.

The president also offered some more nuanced comments on the protesters in Minneapolis, having described them as “thugs” in a tweet during Thursday night.

"I understand the hurt, I understand the pain. People have really been through a lot,” Mr Trump said, saying that some of the protesters were “good people”.  But he also said that others "did a great disservice to their state and to their city". At one point he noted: “Law and order will prevail.”

Joe Biden, who also spoke to Mr Floyd’s family, said the US is a country with an open wound.

“None of us can be silent. None of us can any longer, can we hear the words 'I can't breathe' and do nothing," he said.    “The original sin of this country still stains our nation today, and sometimes we manage to overlook it,” he added.   “We need justice for George Floyd. We need real police reform, police reform which holds bad cops to account.”

Gunfire also broke out in several US cities, including Louisville,  Kentucky, where police say seven people were injured in a shooting. Several hundred protesters had turned out to demonstrate against the death of Breonna Taylor, a black woman who was shot dead by police in March while she slept in her home.

As smoke filled the Minneapolis skyline on Thursday, the state's governor Tim Walz deployed around 500 National Guard soldiers to restore peace. Armed with assault-style rifles, the soldiers blockaded the streets surrounding the most heavily damaged areas of the city as firefighters worked throughout the day to put out the blazes.

Further shocking scenes played out across America's TV screens on Friday morning, as officers in Minneapolis arrested a CNN television crew who were reporting on the unrest. While live on air, CNN reporter Omar Jimenez, who is black and Latino, was handcuffed and led away along with two other team members. CNN reported that another one of its journalists, Josh Campbell, who is white, said he was "treated much differently."

The Minnesota State Patrol said the journalists were among four people arrested as troopers were "clearing the streets and restoring order," and they were released after it was confirmed they were members of the media. CNN said the arrests constituted "a clear violation of their First Amendment rights."

The protests in Minneapolis first erupted on Tuesday, after distressing footage of Mr Floyd's death circulated online. It showed him lying face down and handcuffed, groaning for help and repeatedly saying, "please, I can't breathe," before becoming motionless as officer Derek Chauvin presses his knee against him.

Mr Chauvin was arrested on Friday and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. Mr Floyd was unresponsive for nearly three minutes before Mr Chauvin removed his knee from his neck, the criminal complaint stated.

“Police are trained that this type of restraint with a subject in a prone position is inherently dangerous,” the complaint added.   A pre-autopsy report found Mr Floyd had an underlying heart condition. This, combined with any potential intoxicants in his system and the restraining force used by Mr Chauvin, "likely contributed to his death", the complaint said.   Prosecutors said they also expect to file charges against three other officers involved in the incident. All four officers were dismissed earlier this week.

The tension was heightened further when another video emerged apparently showing three officers kneeling on Mr Floyd.

The charges have done little to turn the public tide of anger building in America over the spate of recent instances of police brutality towards unarmed black men.

Last month, viral footage showing the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed black jogger in Georgia, at the hands of a white former police officer also sparked public unrest. Protesters recalled the death of Mr Arbery and other African Americans, including Eric Garner and Michael Brown, as they took to the streets in their hundreds this week.

By Thursday night, hundreds of demonstrators returned to the Minneapolis neighbourhood at the centre of the violence. Others descended on government offices in downtown Minneapolis for a peaceful protest.

Will Robinson, a local music artist who has been organising peaceful protests in Minneapolis, said the charges against Mr Chauvin did not go far enough.

"He needs first-degree murder, and the other officers need to be arrested too," Mr Robinson told The Telegraph. "If it was anyone else you would get charged."

Mr Robinson said he began protesting on Tuesday after seeing a video of Mr Floyd's arrest. "I couldn’t sit idly by and watch another injustice happen to one of our people, to a fellow human," he said. "I wanted to do everything in my power to make sure this wasn’t going to be swept under the rug by the government."

Mr Robinson said he suspected that the violence the city has witnessed "had been triggered by a few individuals". "Everything was peaceful until a masked man came and smashed a window," he said, adding that the man later headed into the nearby police precinct.

Mr Robinson said he and his fellow organisers have attempted to keep the peace and plan to focus on the original reason for the protest as they return to the streets on Friday night.

Minnesota's governor, Mr Walz, pleaded with protesters as he insisted Mr Floyd's death would bring about change. "It is time to rebuild," he said. "Rebuild the city, rebuild our justice system and rebuild the relationship between law enforcement and those they're charged to protect".

The city - and the nation - braced for another night of violence.