Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison on Thursday left open the possibility that former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin could ultimately be charged with first-degree murder in the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota last week.
“We will charge anything that the facts and the law allow,” Mr. Ellison said on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “We are not showing fear or favor to any person.”
“If the facts show premeditation and deliberation and we can present that in front of a jury in good faith, we absolutely will charge that particular count,” he said. “We’ve charged the highest ethical charge that we feel we can at this point.”
On Wednesday, Mr. Ellison had announced that a third-degree murder charge for Mr. Chauvin, who knelt on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes before he died, was being changed to a second-degree murder charge.
The other former officers on the scene — Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao — were also charged on Wednesday with aiding and abetting murder and aiding and abetting manslaughter.
Benjamin Crump, an attorney for the Floyd family, has been pushing for Mr. Chauvin to be charged with first-degree murder.
Floyd’s death has sparked a wave of protests across the country and a renewed debate about race and policing practices in the U.S.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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