Judge Drops One of the Charges Against George Floyd’s Murderer

The third-degree murder charge against Officer Derek Chauvin has been dropped, though the others remain

Photo: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

A Hennepin Country judge dismissed the charge of third-degree murder against Officer Derek Chauvin, who kneeled on George Floyd’s neck for almost eight minutes, leading to Floyd’s death on May 25.

This sounds grim, but CNN reports that “in a statement, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who is leading the prosecution of Floyd’s death, called the ruling a ‘positive step forward in the path toward justice for George Floyd, his family, our community, and Minnesota.’”

After all, Chauvin still faces the higher charge of second-degree unintentional murder and second-degree manslaughter. The judge ruled that third-degree murder can “be sustained only in situations in which the defendant’s actions were eminently dangerous to other persons and were not specifically directed at the particular person whose death occurred,” and that Chauvin’s actions were not dangerous to anyone but Floyd.

Judge drops third-degree murder charge against former officer Derek Chauvin in George Floyd's death