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Officers charged in George Floyd's death to appear in court Monday

Posted at 4:06 AM, Jun 29, 2020
and last updated 2020-06-29 07:37:12-04

The former Minneapolis police officer charged with killing George Floyd and three other officers accused of aiding and abetting in his death are scheduled to appear in court on Monday.

Derek Chauvin is facing a second-degree murder charge for pinning Floyd to the ground and pressing his knee down on his neck. Floyd pleaded that he couldn't breathe, but Chauvin continued to press down for nearly eight minutes, according to bystander video.

Two autopsies were performed and both ruled the death a homicide, although there were differences in what caused Floyd's death.

The three other officers, J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao, will also appear in court Monday. Keung, Lane and Thao will appear in person, while Chauvin will appear via video conference.

Their appearances are scheduled to take place around midday on Monday. Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill has ruled that cameras cannot be present in the courtroom for pretrial hearings, though it remains to be seen if cameras will be allowed in the courtroom during the trial itself.

Floyd's death prompted worldwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism.