George Floyd's death sent a wave of unrest and a series of protests across the United States. Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis cop, who was seen kneeling on Floyd's neck for 8 minutes faces trial in Floyd's case. In the latest development of the trial, a Minnesota judge dismissed a third-degree murder charge against Chauvin.
Hennepin County District Court Judge Peter Cahill, who gave Thursday's ruling, said the third-degree murder charge could have held up if the defendant's actions had harmed others. But Chauvin is accused of killing just one victim, Floyd. Chauvin still faces second-degree murder and manslaughter charges.
Other charges stand against defendants
"The language of the third-degree murder statute explicitly requires the act causing the 'death of another' must be eminently dangerous 'to others,' " Cahill wrote.
All the other charges against Chauvin's co-defendants still stand. The four defendants will stand trial for murder, manslaughter in the second degree.
"The court has sustained eight out of nine charges against the defendants in the murder of George Floyd, including the most serious charges against all four defendants," Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison was quoted as saying after Cahill's ruling.
