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

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.