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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.
Governors in 32 states and Washington, D.C., have activated more than 32,400 members of the National Guard.
Today’s biggest developments:
This story is being updated throughout the day. Please check back for updates. All times Eastern.
3:20 p.m.: LAPD: Come forward if you experienced officer misconduct
Los Angeles police say people have posted videos online “depicting encounters with the police, that they believe constitutes excessive force or misconduct” during protests.
The LAPD vowed to investigate each report and hold officers accountable if they violated department policy.
The LAPD urged anyone “who believes they were wrongfully accused of a crimes, unjustly, injured, or experienced misconduct on the part of an officer” to make a complaint.
Officers have also been attacked during protests, with rocks, bottles and other items thrown at them, the LAPD said.
Los Angeles protests have resulted in car and structure fires, destruction and widespread looting, police said.
But Mayor Eric Garcetti on Thursday called the rallies “powerful and peaceful” and said he’s lifting the city’s curfew, beginning tonight.
“Angelenos are rallying around powerful and peaceful demonstrations against racial injustice,” Garcetti tweeted. “We remain committed to protecting the right of all people to make their voices heard and ensuring the safety of protesters, businesses, residents, families, and our entire community.”
2:50 p.m.: Minnesota AG visits site of George Floyd’s death
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison visited the site of George Floyd’s death on Thursday, alongside other officials including Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn, and members of the Congressional Black Caucus.
As the public surrounded the officials in an intimate prayer circle, Ellison called for reform at the congressional level.
Ellison told “Good Morning America” earlier Thursday that his team will charge the four former officers involved in Floyd’s death with anything the law allows.
“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,” Ellison said.
Floyd’s autopsy report concluded that he had heart disease and high blood pressure. He also had intoxication from the opioid fentanyl and recent methamphetamine use.
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, ‘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.”
Regarding the other three officers at the scene charged with aiding and abetting, Ellison said he has to prove that they helped cause 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.”
1:10 p.m.: Richmond’s Robert E. Lee statue to be removed
The statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Virginia — which was the capital of the Confederacy — will be removed, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced on Thursday.
“We’re here to be honest about our past and talk about our future,” the governor said.
“The legacy of racism continues not just in isolated incidents” like Floyd’s death, Northam said. “The legacy of racism also continues as part of a system that touches every person and every aspect of our lives.”
Civil rights activists have called for the removal of the Robert E. Lee monument for years. Those protesting Floyd’s death and police brutality gathered at the statue this week, chanting, “Tear it down.”
Northam said the statue’s size and prominence in the city “sends a message” to young children who visit Richmond and ask about the towering monument.
“We can no longer honor a system that was based on the buying and selling of enslaved people,” he said.
Northam acknowledged that some residents will protest the removal of the statue, adding, “I believe in a Virginia that studies its past in an honest way.”
“When we learn more, when we take that honest look at our past, we must do more than just talk about the future — we must take action,” he said.
The Rev. Robert Wright Lee, a descendent of Robert E. Lee, also spoke at Thursday’s news conference and said he fully supports the monument’s removal.
“To those of you who might be doubting” its removal, Lee asked, “when will be the right time?”
“We have a chance here today … to say this will indeed not be our final moment and our final stand,” Lee said. “There are more important things to address than just a statue but this statue is a symbol of oppression.”
Unlike most other statues, Lee’s monument is owned by the state, Northam noted. He said its removal will be done soon as possible.
The monument will go into storage and the community will be involved in determining its future, Northam said.
Meanwhile, Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett on Thursday said a monument dedicated to Confederate soldiers who died at a prison camp in the city will be removed from a local park.
The monument, initially in a cemetery, was put in “Garfield Park in 1928 following efforts by public officials, active in the KKK, who sought to ‘make the monument more visible to the public,'” Hogsett tweeted.
“Whatever original purpose this grave marker might once have had, for far too long it has served as nothing more than a painful reminder of our state’s horrific embrace of the Ku Klux Klan a century ago,” he went on. “For some time, we have urged that this grave monument belongs in a museum, not in a park, but no organization has stepped forward to assume that responsibility. Time is up, and this grave marker will come down.”
12:30 p.m.: Cuomo urges protesters to get a COVID-19 test
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday urged protesters to get a COVID-19 test, warning that the protests could cause a spike in cases because one person could infect hundreds.
Someone infected today could be hospitalized in 8 to 12 days if seriously ill, Cuomo said.
In Los Angeles, health officials on Thursday encouraged protesters “who have had close contact with non-household members not wearing face coverings” to self-quarantine at home for two weeks.
New York City — which has the highest number of protesters — is entering “phase one” of its reopening on Monday, he said.
New York will hold a statewide moment of silence for George Floyd at 2 p.m., coinciding with the start of the memorial service in Minnesota.
A memorial will also be held Thursday afternoon in Brooklyn, where Floyd’s brother, Terrence Floyd, will be among the speakers.
10 a.m.: Senate holds moment of silence for George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor
U.S. Senate Democrats 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.
After the stabbing, shots rang out and more officers arrived at the scene.
Twenty-two shots were fired and two officers were struck in the hand, officials said.
It wasn’t immediately clear if the shots were friendly fire or fired by the stabbing suspect.
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.
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.
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, Rachel Katz, Whitney Lloyd and Josh Margolin contributed to this report.
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