The chief of the Minneapolis Police Department told George Floyd’s family that the three other officers involved in Floyd’s death carry as much responsibility as the officer who has been charged with murder.
“Being silent or not intervening — to me, you’re complicit. So, I don’t see a level of distinction any different,” Police Chief Medaria Arradondo told CNN’s Sara Sidner, who asked on behalf of Floyd’s family whether the three officers would be arrested.
“Mr. Floyd died in our hands, and so I see that as being complicit,” he said on Sunday, adding, “Silence and inaction, you’re complicit. You’re complicit. If there were one solitary voice that would have intervened … that’s what I would have hoped for.”
No one intervened when officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes as he pleaded for air. Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter after video of Floyd’s arrest sparked unrest across the country. The attorney for Floyd’s family has demanded that the charges against Chauvin be upgraded to first-degree murder.
The four officers involved in Floyd’s death were fired from the department on Tuesday.
