Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesBy JON HAWORTH, ABC News
(NEW YORK) — 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.
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.
Chauvin and the other three officers at the scene have been fired. The Department of Justice is investigating.
This story is being updated throughout the Tuesday. Please check back for updates. All times Eastern:
7:35 a.m.: Minnesota Attorney General says he is considering all charges for Derek Chauvin, including first degree murder
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison confirmed he is “considering all charges” and that “all options are on the table,” when it comes to prosecuting Derek Chauvin for the death of George Floyd.
Speaking to ABC News’ Good Morning America, Ellison, who has taken over the prosecution in Floyd’s death, warned that the case must be dealt with methodically and that prosecuting Chauvin would not necessarily be easy.
“Generally, jurors resolve all doubts in favor of the police,” said Ellison. “The system is such that there are certain immunities police have, there are certain presumptions. There are relationships that police have that are established over the course of years. And the fact is if you just look at the Freddie Gray case, people looked at that video and were quite certain that there needed to be a conviction. No one was.”
“The fact is these cases are not easy,” said Ellison. “And anybody who says they are has never done one.”
Ellison was reluctant to give a firm deadline on the timeline of the case but confirmed that the public could see charges very soon.
“We are having a fresh review from what the county attorney has already done … and we are looking at this case with fresh eyes,” said Ellison. “There is nobody who has culpability who will not be held accountable.”
Said Ellison: “The public has an expectation that there will be, there will render assistance when necessary, that [police] will not add harm. Just saying ‘I didn’t know’ and ‘I was following orders’, I don’t think is working for the public anymore. That is not a comment about the evidence or the law. It is a comment about where the public’s mind is these days.”
Ellison said that he and his team are moving “expeditiously” but warned that they also have to move carefully which could take more time than the public would like.
“There are numerous videos, numerous witness statements, a lot of stuff to go through for us to do due diligence,” Ellison stated. “We are not going to prolong this any longer than is absolutely necessary to do that due diligence and we are moving expeditiously, yet we have to move carefully. I know that is unsatisfying to people. They want, what they want immediately, and of course people have waited too long and have been too patient over the years but this case must be done methodically and we are doing that right now.”
6:49 a.m.: Las Vegas police officer in critical condition and on life support
Las Vegas Sheriff Joe Lombardo held a brief press conference to update the public on the two shooting incidents that took place amid protests happening across the city last night.
In the first incident, an officer was engaging with protesters near the Circus Circus hotel and casino and was shot.
“Our officers were attempting to take rocks and bottles from the crowd,” said Lombardo during the press conference. “Officers were attempting to get some of the protesters in custody when a shot rang out and our officer went down.”
The suspect in that shooting has been taken into custody but Lombardo said the police officer who was shot is in “extremely critical condition and on life support currently.”
The second incident occurred at the courthouse on South Las Vegas Boulevard when officers who were posted at the federal building to protect it from protesters encountered a suspect at approximately 11:22 p.m. armed with multiple weapons and appeared to be wearing body armor.
When authorities approached the individual, the suspect reached for one of those weapons and was subsequently shot by the responding officers.
The suspect later died at the hospital.
“This is a tragic night for our community,” said Lombardo. “With these protests, which are leading to riots, one tragedy is only leading to another … our investigations into both these incidents will be ongoing throughout the morning.”
“What has occurred is utterly, utterly unacceptable and I hope the community sees it that way too,” he concluded.
5:43 a.m.: Peaceful protests in New York City devolve into night of looting
Peaceful protests over the death of George Floyd devolved Monday night into jarring moments of vandalism, looting, fire and confrontation in New York.
There were more than 200 arrests and widespread vandalism in Midtown Manhattan and along Fordham Road and the Grand Concourse in the Bronx, much of which went down after the citywide 11 p.m. curfew.
Luxury brands and big box retail stores in Rockefeller Center and the Upper East Side had windows smashed and spray painted. Many more retailers boarded up their storefronts, giving the heart of a vibrant city already shuttered for the virus the look of blight.
There were also several reports of officers being hit by vehicles of protesters fleeing the scenes of vandalism and looting.
4:14 a.m.: Two police officers shot in Las Vegas in separate incidents
Two police officers have been shot in separate incidents in Las Vegas as people protest the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, authorities said.
One officer was shot near the 300 block of South Las Vegas Boulevard and the other officer was shot about two miles away in the 2800 block of South Las Vegas Boulevard.
The condition of the two officers is currently unknown. Police have said the scene is active and have asked the public to avoid the areas.
3:22 a.m.: Four police officers shot in St. Louis on a night of violent protests
St. Louis Police Chief Hayden John Hayden held a press conference regarding four officers that were shot amid protests last night.
He confirmed that all four officers have non life threatening injuries. Two were shot in the leg, one was shot in the foot and the other was shot in the arm.
Police Chief Hayden said that a peaceful protest began around 3 p.m. with a couple of thousand people in attendance but that sometime later a group of about 200 people started looting.
The group reportedly ignited fireworks and set them off aiming at the officers. Hayden also said the officers, who he said exhibited restraint throughout the entire ordeal, also had gas thrown on them.
That is when, he said, several officers, who were standing on the line, all of a sudden felt pain and realized that they had been fired upon with four of them being hit, according to Hayden.
The Police Chief also confirmed that there are still reports of gunshots being fired in the city that they’re trying to get under control.
The officers were taken to hospital and treated for their wounds. The investigation into who shot them is ongoing.
1:57 a.m.: LAPD Chief apologizes for equating looters with officers involved in Floyd’s death
Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore apologized for a remark he made during a mayor’s press conference Monday afternoon where he said: “We didn’t have people mourning the death of this man, George Floyd, we had people capitalizing. His death is on their hands as much as it is those officers … We didn’t have protests last night. We had criminal acts.”
The comment was met with immediate backlash and Black Lives Matter LA called for Moore to be fired in a tweet.
Several hours later, Police Chief Moore, amid much criticism, issued an apology on Twitter saying that he misspoke during the press conference.
12:44 a.m.: Protests mostly peaceful in NYC, Denver, Louisville
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted late Monday night that any unrest has calmed down at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the site of clashes between protesters and police over the last few days.
De Blasio said protesters were overwhelmingly peaceful on this latest night of demonstrations, but that some people during the evening caused some damage that won’t be allowed.
In Denver, protesters at the State Capitol took a knee and observed eight minutes and 46 seconds of silence — the same amount of time Derek Chauvin had his knee on George Floyd’s neck before Floyd died. Only the sound of helicopters above and honking in the distance could be heard.
Louisville, Kentucky, Mayor Greg Fischer also said protests in his city were largely peaceful.
The mayor said the peaceful demonstrations honored the memory of David McAtee, the local restaurant owner who was shot and killed by Louisville police officers early Monday morning.
12:27 a.m.: Streets quiet in nation’s capital
The city of Washington, D.C., has been relatively quiet tonight compared to the violence of the past weekend, law enforcement and homeland security officials tell ABC News.
Officials report sporadic disturbances in Chinatown, where tear gas was deployed near the Convention Center.
City and federal law enforcement, as well as the military, has had a heavy presence on the city streets, with aircraft, including a Black Hawk helicopter, patrolling overhead.
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