UPDATE: Minneapolis cop seen kneeling on neck of George Floyd arrested
Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington said state investigators arrested Derek Chauvin, who was one of four officers fired this week, but he did not provide details. The state attorney who would oversee any prosecution on state charges, whose home was also the site of protests, was scheduled to provide an update later Friday.
His comments came the morning after protesters torched a police station that officers abandoned during a third night of violence. Livestream video showed protesters entering the building, where intentionally set fires activated smoke alarms and sprinklers. President Donald Trump threatened action, tweeting “when the looting starts, the shooting starts,” which prompted a warning from Twitter for “glorifying violence.
He defended the city's lack of engagement with looters - only a handful of arrests across the first two nights of violence - and said, “We are doing absolutely everything that we can to keep the peace.” He said National Guard members were stationed in locations to help stem looting, including at banks, grocery stores and pharmacies.
Attorney Ben Crump, who is representing members of Floyd's family, called for an independent investigation, and said he asked to take custody of Floyd's body to have an independent autopsy performed. Floyd said that talk of a heart condition or asthma are irrelevant because Floyd was walking and breathing before his contact with police.
Elsewhere in Minneapolis, thousands of peaceful demonstrators marched through the streets calling for justice.
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