>>> WELCOME BACK TO OUR COVERAGE
HERE ON "THE BEAT."
THERE IS SO MUCH GOING ON, IT
WOULD BE EASY TO LOSE SIGHT OF
THE INDIVIDUAL ASPECTS OF HOW
THESE RATHER UNUSUAL MURDER
CHARGES AGAINST FOUR POLICE
OFFICERS ARE PROCEEDING.
WHILE WE’VE BEEN TRACKING THE
PROTESTS AND HEARING FROM CIVIL
RIGHTS LEADERS, AND WE’LL HEAR
FROM MAYA WILEY IN A MOTEL,
RIGHT NOW I WANT TO GET INTO
THESE NEW CHARGES.
ALL FOUR OFFICERS ARE BASICALLY
FACING MURDER CHARGES.
OFFICER CHAUVIN CHARGED WITH
SECOND-DEGREE FELONY MURDER.
THE OTHER THREE OFFICERS I
SHOULD SAY ARE CHARGED WITH A
TYPE OF MURDER THAT SAYS
BASICALLY THEY AIDED A
SECOND-DEGREE FELONY MURDER.
NOW WHAT DOES THIS MEAN IN
PRACTICAL TERMS?
RIGHT HERE IS THE HEADLINE.
YOU DON’T HAVE TO GET INTO ALL
THE WEEDS.
YOU HAVE FOUR OFFICERS IN THIS
INCIDENT.
YOU HAVE MR. FLOYD DEAD, KILLED
ACCORDING TO THE AUTOPSY.
AND ALL FOUR FACE UP TO 40 YEARS
FOR UNINTENTIONAL MURDER.
NOW LET’S GET INTO WHAT THIS
MEANS, BECAUSE WE ARE AT THE
BEGINNING OF A LEGAL PROCESS,
NOT THE END.
EVERYONE IS LEGALLY FORMALLY
PRESUMED INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN
GUILTY.
SO THE NEW INFORMATION HOW
PROSECUTORS WANT TO PROVE THEM
GUILTY OF MURDER.
THE THEORY IS CALLED FELONY
MURDER.
THIS IS A SERIOUS CHARGE.
AND IT’S NOT JUST A MURDER
CHARGE.
IT’S ONE THAT ACTUALLY REQUIRES
A SEPARATE AND ADDITIONAL
FELONY.
SO PUT THE OFFICERS TO THE SIDE
FOR ONE MINUTE, AND IMAGINE
SOMEONE GOES TO HOLD UP A LIQUOR
STORE.
FELONY NUMBER ONE.
THEN IN TRYING TO COMMIT THAT
FELONY, SOMEBODY GETS KILLED.
IF THERE IS YOUR FELONY MURDER.
NOW I JUST DESCRIBED A RANDOM
KIND OF STREET CRIME.
I CAN TELL YOU, AND WE CHECKED
WITH SEVERAL EXPERTS TODAY,
POLICE OFFICERS ARE RARELY
CHARGED WITH FELONY MURDER.
THIS IS NOT TYPICALLY HOW
PROSECUTORS APPROACH THESE
CASES.
BUT THERE HAS BEEN NOTHING
TYPICAL ABOUT ANY OF THIS.
NOW FOR CONTEXT, LET’S LOOK AT
THE NUMBERS SHOWING HOW OFTEN
OFFICERS ARE EVEN CONVICTED OF
MURDERS WHEN THERE ARE POLICE
SHOOTINGS.
FROM 2005 ON YOUR SCREEN, WHAT
YOU SEE IS ZEROS.
NOTHING.
NADA.
NO CONVICTIONS.
ZERO OFFICERS CONVICTED.
WHEN IT STARTED TO CHANGE, AND
WE’VE BEEN REPORTING ON THIS IN
JUST THE PAST FIVE YEARS IS YOU
HAVE A HANDFUL OF OFFICERS
CONVICTED OR MURDER.
WE CHECKED AND DIDN’T FIND ANY
CONVICTS OF FELONY MURDER.
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF
MINNESOTA IS HIGHLIGHTING ALL OF
THIS TODAY, AND IN ADDITION TO
EXPLAINING HOW HE IS GOING TO
APPROACH THIS, HE ARGUES THAT
BASICALLY THE FIRST FELONY WAS
ASSAULT OF MR. FLOYD AND
OBVIOUSLY THE KILLING MAYBES FOR
THE FELONY MURDER.
HE ALSO TOOK PAINS TO EMPHASIZE
HE WAS NOT RESPONDING TO PUBLIC
PRESSURE.
>> I DID NOT ALLOW PUBLIC
PRESSURE TO IMPACT OUR
DECISION-MAKING PROCESS.
>> NOW THAT MAY BE TRUE.
I’M A NEWS READER, NOT A MIND
READER.
AND I CAN’T TELL YOU WHAT WAS
INSIDE MR. ELLISON’S
DECISION-MAKING PROCESS.
BUT I CAN REPORT FOR YOU
SOMETHING THAT YOU NEED TO
UNDERSTAND WHEN YOU LOOK AT
THESE PROBLEMS AND POTENTIAL
REFORM.
WHATEVER MR. ELLISON’S DECISION
WAS, THE MAIN REASON HE’S MAKING
ANY DECISION AT ALL IS, YES,
BUZZ OF THE PUBLIC PRESSURE YOU
SEE ON YOUR SCREEN, BECAUSE OF
THE PUBLIC PRESSURE YOU MAY SEE
IN YOUR COMMUNITY, BECAUSE OF
THE PUBLIC PRESSURE THAT HAS
BEEN RIPPING ACROSS AMERICAN
LIFE THE PAST WEEK BECAUSE IT
WAS ONLY PRESSURE THAT CHANGED
THE ROUTINE TO PUT AN
INDEPENDENT ATTORNEY GENERAL
OVERSEEING THE CASE IN THE FIRST
PLACE.
SO HERE WE ARE A WEEK AFTER
THERE WERE NO CHARGES IN THE
CASE.
AND ALL OF THE SUDDEN FOUR
OFFICERS FACE THIS VERY
AGGRESSIVE MOVE OF A FELONY
MURDER PROSECUTORIAL THEORY.
THE THREE OFFICERS AT THE SCENE
ARE CHARGED WITH, NOW WE’RE
GOING GET INTO THE DETAIL,
QUOTE, INTENTIONALLY AIDING
ADVISING OR COUNSELING OR
INSPIRING TO KILL GEORGE FLOYD,
TO CAUSE THE DEATH OF HIM.
AND THE COMPLAINT NOTING HE LEFT
HIS KNEE ON FLOYD’S NECK EVEN
WHILE FORCE WAS NO LONGER
NECESSARY TO CONTROL HIM.
NO LONGER NECESSARY TO CONTROL
HIM.
THAT’S LEGAL SPEAK FOR
BRUTALITY, THAT THIS WAS NOT A
NECESSARY TACTIC, AND THEN IT
ADDS THAT CHAUVIN’S RESTRABT OF
FLOYD WAS A SUBSTANTIAL CAUSAL
FACTOR IN THE DEATH.
NOW IN THE ONGOING INVESTIGATION
CAN TAKE MONTHS.
NEW CHARGES COULD BE ADDED OR
CHANGED.
THE PROSECUTORS NEED TO COLLECT
THE EVIDENCE.
SECURING A MURDER CONVICTION IS
ALWAYS A BIG DEAL.
AND AS WE JUST SHOWED YOU,
SECURING OF AN OFFICER IS
SOMETHING THAT IN MANY YEARS
DOESN’T HAPPEN IN ONE SINGLE
STATE IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY NOW
HAVING WALKED THROUGH THE
BREAKDOWN, I WANT TO BRING IN
MAYA WILEY.
SHE IS A FORMER CIVIL
PROSECUTOR.
SHE WORKED FOR THE MAYOR OF NEW
YORK CITY AND WAS CHAIR OF THE
NEW YORK CIVILIAN COMPLAINT
BOARD WHICH PROVIDES INDEPENDENT
POLICE OVERSIGHT OF NYPD.
MAYA, THAT MAKES YOU NOT ONLY AN
OLD FRIEND OF BEET, BUT
SUBSTANTIVELY, QUITE PERFECT
GUEST FOR THESE CHALLENGING
TOPICS.
GOOD TO SEE YOU.
>> GOD TO OWE SEE YOU, ARI.
>> CAN YOU THINK OF A FELONY
MURDER CONVICTION THAT’S EVER
BEEN WON AGAINST AN OFFICER AND
IF NOT, HOW DO YOU THINK THIS
WILL WORK AND APPLY HERE?
>> WELL, I DON’T KNOW OF ONE.
I CAN’T SAY THERE’S NEVER BEEN
ONE.
BUT I THINK YOU SAID IT WELL.
LOOK, THE FELONY UNDERNEATH THIS
IS AGGRAVATED ASSAULT.
THAT’S WHAT WE HEARD FROM THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL ESSENTIALLY.
AND WHAT WE SEE IS CERTAINLY AN
EASIER TO PROVE THE AGGREGATED
ASSAULT, YOU INTEND THAT AND
THEN THE MURDER HAPPENS ON TOP
OF THAT, THEN THE OTHER
OFFICERS, BECAUSE THEY HAD
REASON TO KNOW THAT THIS WAS
GOING TO POSSIBLY RESULT IN
DEATH AND THEN RESULTS IN DEATH,
YOU PARTICIPATE IN IT
PHYSICALLY, AND YOU PARTICIPATE
BY NOT STOPPING IT, EVEN AFTER
YOU FIND OUT THERE IS NO PULSE.
I THINK THAT THIS IS A STRONG
CASE IN THAT SENSE, NOT THAT
THESE WERE EVER EASY TO WIN, BUT
THIS IS A STUNNING VIDEO AND
EVEN BOTH CORONERS, THE FAMILY’S
CORONER AND THE MEDICAL EXAMINER
AGREE THIS IS HOMICIDE.
>> BRIEFLY, 25 SECONDS, WHAT
WOULD YOU SAY TO A JURY?
>> I WOULD SAY THAT WEARING BLUE
IS NOT A DEFENSE TO KILLING, AND
THAT’S WHAT WE SEE ON THE VIDEO,
PLAIN, SIMPLE, BELIEVE YOUR
EYES. A DEFENSE TO
KILLING, AND THAT IS WHAT WE SEE
ON THE VIDEO, PLAIN, SIMPLE,