Prosecutors looking at the death of George Floyd on Thursday asked the people of Minneapolis for patience while they investigate the case that has riled the city and the nation.
Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died after pleading for help as a police officer used his knee on Floyd’s neck to pin him – unarmed and handcuffed – to the ground. His death sparked outrage and protests across the country, demonstrations that continued Thursday.
In Minneapolis, hundreds of people gathered outside the police departments Third Precinct. Some protesters brought signs and some threw rocks. A temporary fence in front of the station was knocked over. Police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and bean bags fired at rock throwers.
Earlier, Hennepin County Attorney Michael Freeman, giving an update to reporters on the case, said he must look at all evidence before bringing charges.
“My job in the end is to prove he violated a criminal statute. And there is other evidence that does not support a criminal charge. We need to wade through all of that evidence and come to a meaningful decision and we are doing that to the best of our ability.”
About 90 minutes later, Freeman’s office released a statement, and told CNN that Freeman misspoke about “other evidence.”
“Evidence not favorable to our case needs to be carefully examined to understand the full picture of what actually happened,” the statement reads. “This happens in every case. “
During the news conference, federal prosecutor Erica MacDonald told reporters she has hoped to brief them on a new development in the case but couldn’t at this point.
“We are going to investigate it as expeditiously, as thoroughly as justice demands,” Freeman told reporters. “That video is graphic, horrific and terrible. And no person should do that.”
Both MacDonald and Freeman said the investigation requires more time.
“I am pleading with individuals to remain calm and let us conduct this investigation,” she said. “Our highest priority is that justice will be served.”
“Sometimes that takes a little time and we ask people to be patient,” Freeman said. “We have to get this right.”
The Minneapolis Police Department this week fired the four officers involved in Floyd’s arrest. The incident is being investigated by local, state and federal authorities.
All four officers involved in the death have invoked their Fifth Amendment right against self incrimination, Freeman told CNN following the press conference.
Minnesota governor activates National Guard
Minneapolis’ police chief on Thursday acknowledged his department had contributed to a “deficit of hope” in the city after the – and he and other officials called for calm following a night of destructive protests.
“I am absolutely sorry for the pain, devastation and trauma Mr. Floyd’s death has left on his family, his loved ones,” Minneapolis and the world, Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo said in a news conference.
“I know there is currently a deficit of hope in our city … and I know our department has contributed to that deficit as a whole,” Arradondo said.
In Minneapolis, protests transitioned to rioting and looting south of downtown, with people smashing their way into stores and setting businesses and other buildings ablaze.
There was more looting Thursday in St. Paul, the state capital, next door.
Gov. Tim Walz activated the Minnesota National Guard to watch over the demonstrations.
Other states saw protests too. There were gatherings in Denver and New York. At the latter protest, about 40 people were arrested and several officers were injured, a law enforcement official told CNN.
The charges range from obstruction of governmental administration to criminal possession of a weapon, the official added.
On Wednesday night, Minneapolis’ second day of protests transitioned to rioting and looting south of downtown, with people smashing their way into stores and setting businesses and other buildings ablaze.
One of Floyd’s brothers cried Thursday morning as he said his family wants protests to be peaceful, but stressed people are struggling with seeing another black man die following a police encounter, this one over the passing of an allegedly counterfeit $20 bill at a store.
“I want everybody to be peaceful right now, but people are torn and hurt, because they’re tired of seeing black men die,” George Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd, said on CNN’s “New Day.”
“These officers (involved in George’s arrest) need to be arrested right now … and held accountable about everything because these people want justice right now,” he said.
A man was fatally shot overnight near the protests, police said early Thursday. One person was arrested, and police said they’re investigating the nature of the incident.
Fires eventually broke out at businesses in the area, including an AutoZone. Flames lit up a building under construction, one floor eventually collapsing.
At a nearby Target, video shows people taking cartloads of goods and loading them into their cars.
People also raided a grocery store. On Thursday morning its exterior glass lay shattered and the floor was littered with groceries as a interior fire sprinkler system sprayed water.
An unspecified number of police officers and other people suffered minor injuries in the protests, Arradondo said, without elaborating.
