Garland announces Minneapolis police probe

MINNEAPOLIS (AP)

Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the Justice Department is opening a sweeping investigation into policing practices in Minneapolis after the guilty verdict in George Floyd’s death.

Garland said the investigation will determine if the Minneapolis Police Department has a history or pattern of unconstitutional or unlawful policing.

Watch playback of the announcement in the media player below.

The announcement comes a day after ex-officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s 2020 death, setting off a wave of relief but also sadness across the country.

Bystander video showed Floyd handcuffed behind his back and gasping repeatedly, “I can’t breathe,” as Chauvin pressed his knee on or close to Floyd’s neck for several minutes. The Black man’s death prompted mass protests.