YOU COULD SEE IT BEFORE WE KNEW
WHAT WAS HAPPENING, YOU COULD
SEE THIS SHIFT.
ALL RIGHT.
LET'S GET RIGHT TO HENNEPIN
COUNTY ATTORNEY MIKE FREEMAN
STANDING BY WITH NEWS ABOUT
CHARGING.
GOOD AFTERNOON I'M HENNEPIN
COUNTY ATTORNEY MIKE FREEMAN
AND HERE TO ANNOUNCE THAT
FORMER MINNEAPOLIS POLICE
OFFICER DEREK CHAUVIN IS IN
CUSTODY.
FORMER OFFICER DEREK CHAUVIN
HAS BEEN CHARGED BY THE
ATTORNEY'S OFFICE WITH MURDER
AND WITH MANSLAUGHTER.
QUESTIONS.
WHAT CHARGE OF MURDER?
HE HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH 3rd
DEGREE MURDER.
WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF
CONTINUING TO REVIEW THE
EVIDENCE.
THERE MAY BE SUBSEQUENT TO
CHARGES LATER.
I FAILED TO SHARE WITH YOU A
DETAILED COMPLAINT WILL BE MADE
AVAILABLE TO YOU THIS
AFTERNOON.
I DIDN'T WANT TO WAIT ANY
LONGER TO SHARE THE NEWS THAT
HE IS IN CUSTODY AND HAS BEEN
CHARGED WITH MURDER.
WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER THREE
OFFICERS INVOLVED?
THE INVESTIGATION IS
ONGOING.
WE FELT IT APPROPRIATE TO FOCUS
ON THE MOST DANGEROUS
PERPETRATOR.
I MUST SAY THAT THIS CASE HAS
MOVED WITH EXTRAORDINARY SPEED.
THIS CONDUCT, THIS CRIMINAL
ACTION TOOK PLACE ON MONDAY
EVENING, MAY 25th, MEMORIAL
DAY.
I'M SPEAKING TO YOU AT 1:00 ON
FRIDAY, MAY 29th.
THAT'S LESS THAN FOUR DAYS.
THAT'S EXTRAORDINARY.
WE HAVE NEVER CHARGED A CASE IN
THAT TIME FRAME AND WE CAN ONLY
CHARGE A CASE WHEN WE HAVE
SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE TO PROVE A
CASE BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT.
AS OF RIGHT NOW WE HAVE THAT.
GIVE HER A FOLLOW-UP.
THE MAYOR THAT HAS SAID ANY
OTHER PERSON WITH VIDEO
EVIDENCE WOULD HAVE BEEN
ARRESTED AND AWAITING CHARGES.
WHY DIDN'T THAT HAPPEN IN THIS
CASE?
WE HAVE CHARGED THIS CASE AS
QUICKLY AND WITH SUB
ADMISSIBLE EVIDENCE TO CHARGE
IT.
GO AHEAD.
[ UNINTELLIGIBLE ] WHAT HAS
CHANGED SINCE YESTERDAY MORNING
AND THIS MORNING TO CHARGE?
FAIR QUESTION.
WE HAVE NOW BEEN ABLE TO PUT
TOGETHER THE EVIDENCE THAT WE
NEED.
EVEN AS LATE AS YESTERDAY
AFTERNOON WE DIDN'T HAVE ALL
THAT WE NEEDED.
WE HAVE NOW FOUND IT AND WE
FELT A RESPONSIBILITY THAT THE
CHARGES WERE BROUGHT AS SOON AS
POSSIBLE.
PAUL.
WHAT ABOUT.
[ UNINTELLIGIBLE ]?
FOLKS I'M NOT GOING TO TALK
SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THIS PIECE
OF EVIDENCE OR THAT PIECE OF
EVIDENCE.
YOU WILL SEE.
YOU ALL ARE VETERANS.
I CAN ONLY TALK ABOUT WHAT IS
IN THE COMPLAINT.
YOU WILL SEE IN THE COMPLAINT
THE EVIDENCE AND PUT IT ALL
TOGETHER.
WE NEEDED TO HAVE IT ALL.
NOW LET ME QUICKLY SAY WE HAVE
EVIDENCE.
WE HAVE THE CITIZENS CAMERAS,
VIDEO, THE HORRIBLE THING THAT
WE HAVE SEEN ALL OVER AGAIN.
WE HAVE THE OFFICER'S BODY WORN
CAMERA AND STATEMENTS FROM
WITNESSES AND A PRELIMINARY
REPORT FROM THE MEDICAL
EXAMINER AND DISCUSSIONS WITH
AN EXPERT.
ALL OF THAT HAVE COME TOGETHER
AND WE FELT IN OUR PROFESSIONAL
JUDGMENT IT WAS TIME TO CHARGE
AND WE HAVE DONE THAT.
WHAT CRIMINAL STATUTES CAN
APPLY TO THOSE OFFICERS IF NOT
MURDER?
I AM NOT GOING TO SPECULATE
ABOUT THE OTHER OFFICERS.
THEY ARE UNDER INVESTIGATION.
I ANTICIPATE CAN CHARGES BUT I
WILL NOT GET INTO THAT.
TODAY WE ARE TALKING ABOUT
DEREK CHAUVIN TO MEET THE
STANDARDS AND THAT IS WHAT WE
HAVE DONE.
[ UNINTELLIGIBLE ].
WHOA, WHOA.
HOW ABOUT THE 2nd DEGREE
STATUTES, IS THERE INTENTION OR
UNINTENTIONAL ON THE SURFACE
THAT THE VIDEOTAPE EVIDENCE
THAT WE HAVE ALL SEEN?
WE HAVE LOOKED VERY CLOSELY
AT ALL STATUTES.
THIS IS WHAT WE HAVE CHARGED
NOW.
INVESTIGATION IS ONGOING.
WE HAVE MORE DISCUSSIONS TO DO
WITH OUR EXPERTS.
THIS IS THE SAME CHARGES THAT
WE MADE WHEN WE CHARGED FORMER
MINNEAPOLIS POLICE OFFICER
MOHAMMED NORAB.
ARE YOU SAYING THAT YOU ARE
GOING TO CHARGE THE POLICE
OFFICER --
THIS IS THE FASTEST WE HAVE
CHARGED A POLICE OFFICER.
NORMALLY THESE PLACES CAN TAKE
NINE MONTHS TO A YEAR.
WE HAVE TO CHARGE THESE CASES
VERY CAREFULLY.
BECAUSE WE HAVE A DIFFICULT
BURDEN OF PROOF.
LET ME SAY SOMETHING ABOUT
THAT.
WE ENTRUST OUR POLICE OFFICERS
TO USE CERTAIN AMOUNTS OF FORCE
TO DO THEIR JOB, TO PROTECT US.
THEY COMMIT A CRIMINAL ACT IF
THEY USE THIS FORCE
UNREASONABLY.
WE HAVE TO PROVE THAT BEYOND A
REASONABLE DOUBT.
THE HENNEPIN COUNTY ATTORNEY'S
OFFICE IS ONE OF THE FEW
PROSECUTOR OFFICES IN THIS
COUNTRY IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS
TO SUCCESSFULLY PROSECUTE A
POLICE OFFICER FOR MURDER.
AND WE DID THAT ON BEHALF OF
JUSTIN DAMON.
OKAY.
THAT IS UNUSUAL.
WE KNOW HOW TO DO THIS.
WE HAVE A VETERAN PROSECUTOR
GROUP AIDED BY A VERY VETERAN
INVESTIGATIVE GROUP AT THE BCA.
ON TOP OF THAT WE HAVE HAD
GREAT COOPERATION FROM THE FBI
AND UNITED STATES ATTORNEY
ERICA McDONALD AND SHE MAY HAVE
SOME THINGS TO SHARE WITH YOU
SOON BUT SHE DOES THAT ON HER
OWN TIMETABLE.
I WANT TO SAY TO YOU THAT I'M
VERY PLEASED ABOUT THAT LEVEL
OF COOPERATION WHICH FRANKLY I
WILL SAY TO YOU DOESN'T
NECESSARILY HAPPEN IN OUR
JURISDICTIONS ACCORDING TO MY
FRIENDS AND THE NATIONAL
PROSECUTORS.
THIS TAKES DAYS, DID PUBLIC
OUTRAGE PLAY A ROLE IN THE
SPEED OF THIS INVESTIGATION?
I'M NOT INSENSITIVE TO WHAT
HAS HAPPENED IN THE STREETS.
MY OWN HOME HAS BEEN PICKETED
REGULARLY.
MY JOB IS TO DO IT ONLY WHEN WE
HAVE SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE.
WE HAVE IT TODAY.
MOHAMMED NORAB WAS A VERY
DIFFICULT CASE.
WE DIDN'T HAVE THE KIND OF
VIDEOTAPE THAT WE NEED.
AND WE DIDN'T -- AND THERE WAS
ALL SORTS OF OTHER EVIDENCE
THAT TOOK US A LONG TIME.
WE DO OUR LEVEL BEST TO CHARGE
EACH CASE WHEN WE HAVE THE
EVIDENCE TO DO IT BUT I CAN'T
AND WILL NOT CHARGE A CASE
UNTIL IT IS READY.
THIS CASE IS NOW READY AND WE
HAVE CHARGED IT.
THE COMPLAINT HAS NOT BEEN
SIGNED AND PROCESSED AND WHEN
IT IS DONE --
GOOD, THANK YOU.
LET ME SAY ON -- THE COMPLAINT
THAT COMPLETED AND IT IS BEING
PROCESSED NOW AND THE SIGNED
COPY WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE TO
YOU TODAY.
THAT'S --
[ UNINTELLIGIBLE ] OR THE
OTHER THREE?
THAT'S IT.
THAT'S HENNEPIN COUNTY ATTORNEY
MIKE FREEMAN WITH THE NEWS THAT