The death of George Floyd, a black man who died on Memorial Day after he was pinned down by a white Minnesota police officer, has sparked outrage and protests in Minneapolis and across the United States.
Second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter charges have been filed against Derek Chauvin, the officer who prosecutors say held his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes. The three other officers have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting manslaughter.
All four officers have been fired.
Today’s biggest developments:
This story is being updated throughout the day. Please check back for updates. All times Eastern.
10 a.m.: Senate holds moment of silence for George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor
Members of the U.S. Senate gathered in the Capitol Thursday morning for moment of silence in honor of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor.
Taylor, a young black woman, was shot dead by police when they served a no-knock warrant in her Louisville, Kentucky, home in March. Arbery, a young black man from Georgia, was jogging in February when he was shot dead by two white men.
The men have been arrested in Arbery’s case. Officers have not been charged in Taylor’s death.
The moment of silence lasted 8 minutes and 46 seconds — the length of time officer Derek Chauvin allegedly had Floyd pinned to the ground with his knee.
9:40 a.m.: New Orleans police use tear gas to disperse protesters
Police in New Orleans used tear gas to disperse protesters overnight.
Video from the scene showed chaos and pushing among demonstrators once the tear gas was deployed.
The police said the tear gas was used because “the crowd refused to comply with three orders” to avoid walking across the Crescent City Connection bridge.
“Escalation and confrontation hurts us all,” the police department tweeted. “NOPD [The New Orleans Police Department] is committed to respectful protection of our residents’ First Amendment rights. However, tonight we were compelled to deploy gas on the CCC [Crescent City Connection] in response to escalating, physical confrontation with our officers.”
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell tweeted overnight, “We must hold on to what has gotten us this far— peaceful protest, restraint and respect.”
“None of us wants this to escalate,” she said. “Please, go home, be safe.”
8:30 a.m.: NYPD officer stabbed in neck while working anti-looting patrol
In New York City, police made about 180 arrests Wednesday night as they dispersed protesters in Brooklyn and Manhattan who were demonstrating after the 8 p.m. curfew.
The night saw little looting or violence in the city, and the decision to disperse the otherwise orderly crowd drew criticism from the city’s public advocate, Jumaane Williams.
“The force used on nonviolent protestors was disgusting,” Williams tweeted. “No looting/no fires. Chants of “peaceful protest” @NYPDnews was simply enforcing an ill advised curfew.”
“What happened was completely avoidable,” Williams said.
One NYPD officer, however, was stabbed in the neck.
The officer was working an anti-looting patrol when attacked in what NYPD Police Commissioner Demot Shea called a “cowardly despicable unprovoked attack against a defenseless police officer.”
“Thank God we are not planning a funeral right now,” Shea said.
The suspect, who was armed with a hunting knife, was shot by responding officers and is in critical condition, officials said.
William Sweeney, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York field office, said the FBI “is fully engaged.”
“We respond as if one of our own was attacked, and we will use every federal statue available to hold the perpetrator accountable,” he said.
7:31 a.m.: Minnesota AG will charge 4 officers with ‘anything that the law allows’
Keith Ellison, attorney general of Minnesota, told ABC News’ “Good Morning America” that his team will charge the four officers involved in the death of George Floyd with anything the law allows.
“We will charge anything that the facts in the law allow,” he said. “We are not showing fear or favor to any person. If the facts show premeditation an deliberation and we can present that in front of a jury in good faith, we absolutely will charge that particular count.”
The Floyd family attorney has been urging Ellison and his team to continue the investigation and do whatever he can to bring first-degree murder charges against Derek Chauvin, the former police officer who was filmed kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes.
Floyd’s autopsy report concluded that he had some pre-existing conditions such as heart disease and hypertension. He also had fentanyl and other intoxicants in his system.
Ellison said he does not believe this poses a challenge to the case.
“You take your victim as you find them,” said Ellison. “You can’t say that, ‘well, the person who I victimized was not in the very perfect picture of health so it’s their fault that they died at my hands.’ You take your victim as you find them, and I believe that that is a factor that should not weigh.”
As far as the charges against the other three officers in the case are concerned, Ellison said that he has to prove that they helped in causing Floyd’s death.
“You can look at the tape and see who is sitting where and see the assistance that was given, important assistance to what Chauvin was doing, so we believe — we can also see what was not done,” Ellison explained. “That even despite the pleas and the cries, there was no assistance rendered. So we believe that they were culpable, they assisted in the commission of this offense and that is why we charged them.”
Ultimately, Ellison said he was confident about the case and getting the convictions that he wants.
Said Ellison: “Yes, absolutely we are confident we can do this. But we understand the challenge in front of us which is why we’re working extra hard … This is a social change moment and this prosecution is essential to achieving that justice.”
5:08 a.m.: Millions of dollars raised to help businesses and organizations affected by looting in Minneapolis
More than $4.5 million has been raised to help businesses and organizations along Minneapolis’ Lake Street rebound after being impacted by looting and vandalism.
So far, tens of thousands of people have chipped in to to raise millions of dollars.
Wednesday, the Minnesota Transitions Charter School held a donations drive for families, students and others in need.
“Look at all the people coming together and meeting those needs, today feels great it’s uplifting to the soul,” said Brian Erlandson, superintendent of Minnesota Transitions Charter School.
Less than a week ago, their school suffered property and water damage from the riots.
“We didn’t know whether or not to cry, express our rage or what. We looked inside and it was so painful,” Erlandson said.
But somehow, they’re able to move forward and give back even at a time when they’re down.
“Even when tragedy strikes us we’re here for our kids and we always have been and we always will be,” said Shawn Fondow, principal at MTS Secondary.
That is just one example of how the community is stepping up for each other. The Lake Street Council organized a fund called “We Love Lake Street.” So far, over 50,000 people have donated more than $4 million.
“The $4 million is just a start, we will need a lot more to rebuild,” said ZoeAna Martinez, Lake Street Council community engagement manager.
Martinez said a committee is working on how the funds will be distributed and they want to assure everyone the process will be transparent.
“Those businesses know that we’re here for them, I’m here for them,” Martinez said.
During times like these, generosity is contagious.
“It’s just beautiful, I mean, I’m shedding a tear right now as we talk,” said Frederick Joyce, who lives in Robbinsdale.
While it will take time to heal, those who work near Lake Street and call this place home aren’t about to give up.
“We’re going to make a comeback, we’re going to do it here and it’s going to be better than ever,” Erlandson said.
12:49 a.m.: Virginia governor to announce removal of Lee statue
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is expected to announce plans to remove a statue in Richmond of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, according to The Associated Press.
The Democratic governor is expected to direct the statue to be moved into storage while his administration seeks a new location for it, according to The Associated Press.
9:39 p.m.: LA announces police reforms
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and the city’s police commission board announced new reforms for the Los Angeles Police Department.
The department’s budget won’t be raised and they will begin to find $150 million in cuts, he announced.
The decision comes amid calls from protesters to defund the police — a popular chant outside City Hall in recent days.
The $150 million in policing cuts will come from a total shift of $250 million from the proposed budget to instead be reallocated to minority communities, he said.
“Today President [Barack] Obama challenged mayors to sign a pledge to recognize that there are things that are still not right. I was proud to be one of the first mayors in America to sign that pledge,” Garcetti said at a press conference. “Tonight I want to announce that we aren’t just putting the work of moving forward on the shoulders of activists or of African Americans or police officers. It’s on those of us who you’ve elected.”
“Our city identified $250 million in cuts so we can invest in jobs, in health, in education and in healing and those dollars need to be focused on our black community here in Los Angeles,” he added.
The department will also be instructed to invest in more implicit bias training, youth programs and oversight programs, according to the mayor.
ABC News’ Mark Crudele, Jack Date, Will Gretzky, Ahmad Hemingway, Aaron Katersky, Whitney Lloyd and Josh Margolin contributed to this report.
