MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota’s Attorney General says prosecutors are working as fast as they can to determine whether more charges will be filed against officers involved in the death of George Floyd, but they also have to work carefully and methodically.
Attorney General Keith Ellison was appointed lead prosecutor in the case Sunday. He told “Good Morning America” on Tuesday that those who have culpability will be held accountable.
"These cases are not easy, and anyone who says they are has never done one," Ellison told ABC's Amy Robach.
Floyd, who was black, died May 25 after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck as Floyd said he couldn’t breathe and became motionless. Derek Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. But members of Floyd’s family and many others are calling for more serious charges, as well as charges against the three other officers who were there.
Ellison says despite the widely viewed bystander video of Floyd’s final moments, cases against police are hard. He pointed to the deaths of Freddie Gray and Philando Castile, and the beating of Rodney King, as examples of cases where striking video of an incident did not lead to convictions of officers.
The video of the encounter that led to Floyd's death makes it clear that the actions of former officer Derek Chauvin played the most direct role in the outcome. Still, Ellison believes that the public may have finally reached the breaking point, and that inaction by the other three officers on the scene may warrant charges as well.
"The public has an expectation they (police) will render assistance when necessary, and they will not add harm, just saying 'I didn't know' and 'I was following orders' just isn't working for the public anymore," Ellison said.
Ellison did not give a timeline for any new charges. All four officers have been fired.
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