Minneapolis mayor calls for the jailing of choke-kill cop

The mayor of Minneapolis has called for the charging of a white policeman responsible for a black man being choked to death.

A policeman aims a teargas gun at demonstrators from the roof of the Third Police Precinct in Minneapolis. Picture: AFP

The mayor of Minneapolis has called for criminal charges against the white policeman who knelt against the neck of a ­handcuffed black man who complained that he could not breathe and died in police custody.

Mayor Jacob Frey said on Thursday AEST that officer Derek Chauvin should be charged over the death of George Floyd. Video recorded by a bystander shows Officer Chauvin with his knee on Mr Floyd’s neck as he gasps for breath on the ground with his face against the pavement. The officer does not move for at least eight minutes, even after Mr Floyd stops speaking and moving.

An injured woman is carried by other protesters during clashes with police outside the Third Police Precinct on Wednesday. Picture: AFP

“I’ve wrestled with, more than anything else over the last 36 hours, one fundamental question: Why is the man who killed Georg­e Floyd not in jail?” said Mr Frey, who is white.

“I saw no threat. I saw nothing that would signal that this kind of force was necessary.”

The day after Mr Floyd died, Officer Chauvin and three colleague­s were fired — an act that did not stem the flood of anger that followed the widely seen video shot on Monday night outside a convenience store.

Protesters marched more than 3km to the police precinct in that part of the city, with some damaging property and skirmishing with officers in riot gear who fired teargas. The Star Tribune reported more conflict on Wednesday night at the same precinct, with some protesters throwing rocks and bottles at police, who respon­ded with rubber bullets and teargas. Another protest was held on the street outside Officer Chauvin’s home. Red paint had been spilt on his driveway, and ­“murderer”­ written in chalk at the end of it.

An AutoZone store is set alight during a rally for George Floyd in Minneapolis on Wednesday. Picture: AP

Floyd family lawyer Benjamin Crump called for peaceful protests. “We cannot sink to the level of our oppressors, and we must not endanger others during this pandemic,” the civil rights lawyer said. “We will demand and ultim­ately force lasting change by shining­ a light on treatment that is horrific and unacceptable and by winning justice.”

Police chief Medaria Arradondo, who rose to the top job after his predecessor was forced out following the 2017 shooting death of ­unarmed Australian Justine Dam­ond­ Ruszczyk by black Minne­­apolis policeman Mohamed Noor, urged protesters to “be respectful”. He said he was working to change the department’s culture. “One incide­nt can significantly bring people to doubt that,” he said.

George Floyd. Picture: AP

The chief defended the department’s use of teargas to break up Tuesday night’s protests, saying officers used it only after some people broke into a secure area that gave them access to squad cars and weapons.

Governor Tim Walz and Minnesota’s two top law-enforcement officials — Attorney-­General Keith Ellison and Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington, both black — promised a thorough, transparent investigation. But Mr Walz and Mr Ellison didn’t endorse the mayor’s call to immediately charge the officer, saying the legal process needed to play out.

“I understand the emotions are running high, and I think it’s important for the mayor to ­channel the emotion of the people who he represents. But I think it is critical that we adhere very closely to the facts and the law and the normal process,” Mr Ellison said.

Derek Chauvin holds George Floyd. Picture: AFP

The Hennepin County Attor­ney’s Office, which would prosecute any state charges, said Mr Floyd’s death had “outraged us and people across the country” and that the case “deserves the best we can give”.

The FBI was investigating whether officers wilfully deprived Mr Floyd of his civil rights.

President Donald Trump called the death “a very, very sad event” and asked for the federal investigation to be expedited.

Democrat Joe Biden said the death was “part of an ingrained, systemic cycle of injustice that still exists in this country” and “cuts at the very heart of our sacred­ belief that all Americans are equal in rights”.

AP