By Jonathan Allen and Brendan O’Brien
MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) – A Minnesota court of appeals ruled on Friday that the judge in the case against Derek Chauvin, who is facing criminal charges for the killing of George Floyd last May, must reconsider a third-degree murder charge against the former police officer.
The trial of Chauvin was due to begin in Minneapolis with jury selection on Monday. He is already facing a more serious charge of second-degree murder, as well as a charge of second-degree manslaughter.
Videos of Chauvin, who is white, kneeling on neck of Floyd, a Black man, for nearly nine minutes outraged people around the world and helped fuel one of the largest protest movements ever seen in the United States, with daily demonstrations against police brutality and racism.
Lawyers for Chauvin, who could not immediately be reached for comment, have told the court they intend to argue that Chauvin acted appropriately according to his duties and training as a police officer.
(Reporting by Jonathan Allen in Minneapolis and Brendan O’Brien in Chicago; Editing by Dan Grebler)
