#Minnesota state police probing four officers involved George Floyd’s death

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The officers charged in the death of George Floyd, from left: Derek Chauvin, J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao.
AP

State police conduct investigators in Minnesota are probing the actions of former police officer Derek Chauvin and the three other cops charged in connection to George Floyd’s death, according to a new report.

The Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training — which licenses and sets training standards for all officers in the state — said in a Tuesday court filing that it will review the circumstances surrounding Floyd’s murder, which has sparked international protests, The Minneapolis-Star Tribune reported.

While all four cops have been fired from the Minneapolis Police Department, they are still licensed Minnesota peace officers, according to the report.

The board has asked the Hennepin County District Court for copies of the criminal complaints against ex-cop Derek Chauvin — captured on disturbing, viral video pinning his knee on Floyd’s neck — who has been charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, the filing states.

The board also requested the complaints against former officers Tou Thau, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng, who have each been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.

In a statement obtained by the Star-Tribune, the board said that Chauvin’s actions do not reflect any training that officers receive.

“The video is troubling and disturbing and it is the Board’s position that sanctity of life must be the guiding principle for all law enforcement officers,” the board said.

Erik Misselt, the board’s interim executive director, told CNN — without speaking about any specific case — that officers who violate policing standards could face a range of punitive options, including the suspension or revocation of their law enforcement licenses.

In addition to the state’s criminal investigation, the FBI is conducting a federal civil rights investigation. The Minnesota Department of Human Rights is probing the Minneapolis Police Department’s records — dating back a decade — to determine whether evidence suggests the department has a pattern of unfairly targeting minorities, CNN reported.

Prosecutors acknowledged Wednesday that Chauvin had his knee on Floyd’s neck for 7 minutes, 46 seconds — not the 8:46 that has become a symbol of police brutality — but said the one-minute error would have no impact on the criminal case against the four officers.

“These kinds of technical matters can be handled in future amendments to the criminal complaint if other reasons make it necessary to amend the complaint between now and any trials,” Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman’s office said in a statement.