Three assisting officers charged in George Floyd's death: prosecutor
George Floyd, 46, died after Derek Chauvin, a white policeman, knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes on May 25, reigniting the explosive issue of police brutality against African Americans.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is charging Chauvin, 44, with second-degree murder in addition to the third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter charges leveled against him last week, according to court documents.
The new charge can carry a sentence of up to 40 years, 15 years longer than the maximum sentence for third-degree murder.
The other three former officers who were involved in the incident - Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao - face charges of aiding and abetting murder and arrest warrants have been issued by Ellison.
