Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey publicly called on Wednesday for charges to be filed against the arresting officer seen kneeling for several minutes on the neck of George Floyd, a black man who died shortly after the police encounter on Monday.
Driving the news: Frey's announcement follows a night of protests over Floyd's death and news that the FBI will investigate the incident for possible civil rights violations. Frey tweeted Tuesday that the four officers involved have been terminated.
What he's saying: "More than anything else, over the last 36 hours, one fundamental question: Why is the man who killed George Floyd not in jail? If you had done it, or I had done it, we would be behind bars right now. And I cannot come up with a good answer to that question," Frey told reporters on Wednesday.
- "And so I'm calling on Hennepin County attorney Mike Freeman to act on the evidence before him, I'm calling on him to charge the arresting officer in this case."
- "We cannot turn a blind eye. It is on us as leaders to see this for what it is and call it what it is. George Floyd deserves justice, his family deserves justice, the black community deserves justice, and our city deserves justice," Frey said.
Go deeper: Biden compares "tragic" death of George Floyd to Eric Garner
