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Protests Rage After Minneapolis Prosecutor Does Not Bring Charges Against Officers Who Killed George Floyd

HeadlineMay 29, 2020

Thousands took to the streets of Minneapolis Thursday as protests against the killing of an African American man by a white police officer rocked the city for the third night in a row. Demonstrators set fire to the Minneapolis Police Department’s 3rd Precinct, just hours after prosecutors said they were not yet sure if they would criminally charge Derek Chauvin, the white police officer who pinned George Floyd to the ground by his neck for eight minutes while Floyd gasped for air. In a video that has now been seen around the world, Floyd repeatedly gasps “I can’t breathe.” Four officers including Chauvin have since been fired, but not arrested. On Thursday, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman was questioned about the delay in charging and arresting the officers.

Mike Freeman: “That video is graphic and horrific and terrible, and no person should do that. But my job, in the end, is to prove that he violated a criminal statute, and there is other evidence that does not support a criminal charge.”

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called in the National Guard overnight as protests raged in Minneapolis and Saint Paul. This morning, Minnesota state police arrested CNN correspondent Omar Jimenez, along with his producer and camera crew, live on national television outside the charred remains of the 3rd police precinct. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz later apologized to CNN over the arrests, and the crew was released. After headlines, we’ll go to Minneapolis for the latest.

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