Judge Drops Third-Degree Murder Charge Against Derek Chauvin

According to reports from CNN, a Hennepin County Judge has dropped the third-degree murder charge against the former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the killing of George Floyd.

Chauvin has still been charged with second-degree unintentional murder and second-degree manslaughter in relation to Floyd’s death on May 25.

The former officer was seen in videos of the incident kneeling on Floyd’s neck for several minutes as he told Chauvin and three other officers that he couldn’t breathe.

On Wednesday, Judge Peter Cahill denied motions to dismiss the charges against the other former Minneapolis officers involved. Former officers, Tou Thao, Thomas Lane, and J. Alexander Kueng were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. Cahill’s ruling states that the jury should decide if the state of Minnesota has proven the guilt of the former officers. He wrote in his summary that the state has met the burden of probable cause in the charges against the three other officers.

Cahill made an exception for the third-degree murder charge against Chauvin, he wrote that the charge can “be sustained only in situations in which the defendant’s actions were ’eminently dangerous to other persons’ and were not specifically directed at the particular person whose death occurred.”

But the ruling says that the evidence presented by the state doesn’t show that Chauvin’s actions were “eminently dangerous” to anyone but Floyd.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison called the ruling in a statement a “positive step forward in the path toward justice for George Floyd, his family, our community, and Minnesota.” He said, “The court has sustained eight out of nine charges against the defendants in the murder of George Floyd, including the most serious charges against all four defendants.” He added, “We look forward to presenting the prosecution’s case to a jury in Hennepin County,”

An attorney for Chauvin declined to comment, Kueng’s attorney said the ruling “reflects considerable scholarship, integrity and work ethic — which is appreciated.” The attorney, Thomas C. Plunkett declined to comment further because he is in the process of viewing the order.

Attorneys for the other officers did not immediately respond to CNN’s requests for comment Thursday morning. CNN has reached out to an attorney representing Floyd’s family.

Derek Chauvin Asks Judge to dismiss charges

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Judge Drops Third-Degree Murder Charge Against Derek Chauvin For the Killing of George Floyd

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