George Floyd’s family on Wednesday hailed the upgraded and additional charges expected over his slaying and expressed gratitude for the “decisive action” from Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison.
“This is a bittersweet moment,” family lawyer Ben Crump tweeted about the reported legal action.
“We are deeply gratified that @AGEllison took decisive action, arresting & charging ALL the officers involved in #GeorgeFloyd’s death & upgrading the charge against Derek Chauvin to felony second-degree murder.”
In a subsequent statement, Crump and the family said the developments were “a significant step forward on the road to justice, and we are gratified that this important action was brought before George Floyd’s body was laid to rest.”
The statement also said Ellison “has informed the family that his office will continue to investigate and will upgrade the charges to first-degree murder if the evidence supports it.”
During an appearance on CNN, Crump said, “We believe it should be first-degree murder,” adding that Floyd had been “tortured to death” when Chauvin was recorded kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes.
Also during the CNN interview, Floyd’s son, Quincy Mason, said, “I’m here with my family. We demand justice.”
“My father shouldn’t have been killed like this. We want justice,” he said.
When the interviewer said, “Plain and simple,” Mason softly repeated, “Plain and simple.”
Chauvin was initially charged on Friday with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for causing Floyd’s death following his May 25 arrest.
Floyd was handcuffed at the time, and cellphone video shows Chauvin ignoring Floyd as he repeatedly said, “I can’t breathe” and bystanders who pleaded with the cop to remove his knee.
In addition to the upgraded charge against Chauvin, three other cops who were present at the scene — Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane — will be charged with aiding and abetting murder, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.