WASHINGTON — Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday will announce the Department of Justice will launch an investigation into Minneapolis’ policing policies, DOJ officials said.
The announcement comes a day after Derek Chauvin was convicted on all three counts in the death of George Floyd last year. He was found guilty of second- and third-degree murder, as well as second-degree manslaughter.
During the trial, prosecutors presented the jury with a video recorded by bystanders that showed Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes. Prosecutors argued that Chauvin’s actions caused Floyd to die from asphyxiation.
Video showed Floyd repeatedly yelling out, “I can’t breathe.” His death led to nationwide protests last summer.
President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and members of Floyd’s family renewed their calls after Chauvin’s verdict for Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which the House passed in early March. The police reform bill that would ban chokeholds and overhaul qualified immunity protections for officers.
Democrats would need at least 10 Republicans to support the legislation in the Senate in order for it to pass.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
