>> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. >> hello to our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm john king in washington. thank you for sharing your day with us. it is a day of dramatic breaking news, a potential turning point in the investigation of the death of george floyd nine days ago in minneapolis. the attorney general of the state, keith ellison, we are told will make an announcement related to possible additional charges in the killing of mr. floyd. right now, fired officer derek chauvin faces charges of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, but the other three officers who were standing by as mr. floyd was killed have not as of this hour been charged. but we are told the attorney general has made a review of the case, he has completed it and

will have an announcement later today. we also are at the site of mr. floyd's death. his family due to visit any moment. they're coming to that memorial site, a shrine right there in minneapolis. let's get to our correspondent who broke this news for us last hour, cnn's josh campbell. omar jimenez also in minneapolis. josh, i want to start with you. the attorney general under a great deal of pressure here, in his own community, from protesters around the country. he said he asked for time to review all of the evidence, but your reporting is keith ellison has made a decision. >> reporter: that's right, john. a major development, a new milestone in this investigation. as you mentioned, this has been under review by the attorney general's office, the actions of the officers that were involved in this incident that resulted in the death of george floyd. now, we know that one of those officers, derek chauvin, was arrested. he's charged with third-degree murder. the case was then transferred to the attorney general's office. it was with county prosecutors. the a.g.'s office took that

investigation over based on the decision by the governor here, and that investigation has been well under way. they haven't been releasing any details about where they were, but we're now told that their initial review of all of the facts in the case is now complete. they have now rendered a decision regarding the next step for the officers that were involved in this incident. sources not telling us right now publicly what that decision is. we're told that there will be an announcement from the attorney general early this afternoon, so we will be waiting for those remarks by a.g. keith ellison here. i can tell you, this community has really been on edge since this incident began. as we know, we have seen those images across the country of protesters, most of them peaceful, some of them violent, people demanding justice in this case. what i've been told by sources here as we've been covering this story is that they have been working methodically through all of the facts in this investigation, trying to ensure that they do things the right way. as one person told me, they only get one shot to do it right. we're now told that that review is complete and while the investigation itself will

continue, they continue to gather additional evidence, they have now at least gathered enough information to render a decision on those four officers. we're waiting for this afternoon to find out what that decision will be, john. >> josh, stand by for us as i bring in our colleague, omar jimen jimenez. omar, it is hard. it is just hard to describe the potential emotions of this moment. already, mr. floyd's family was coming to that now-sacred site in minneapolis. they have a memorial service planned tomorrow in houston, which is his birth city. and now we have word that the attorney general has made a decision, and we will hear that decision about potentially charging the other officers involved a bit later today. as i break you in, i want to help our viewers around the world. josh campbell mentioned this would be later this afternoon, minnesota central time in the united states, noon where i am in washington, 11:00 a.m., a little after that now where you are. describe the scene and emotions of this moment. >> reporter: well, john, at this site, we are at the intersection where george floyd's final

moments played out a little bit over a week ago now. and as you mentioned, the family was already set to come to this site to pay their respects, again, at a place that has basically become a shrine of sorts and a makeshift memorial over the course of days. now, you heard from the family attorney, benjamin crump -- he was actually confident that we would see charges against these officers before we saw any memorial services here in minneapolis on thursday. again, we have not seen if we are going to see charges against the other officers in this, but that is the confidence that the family attorney is feeling right now. and a few moments ago, i spoke to the governor here at this site as he visited, and he told us, simply, the stakes are so high in this. we don't get another chance to get this right was the exact words that he said to me, indicating that, look, the entire eyes of the country and even the world are looking at minnesota right now to see what the consequences are going to be for officers in a cell phone video that, clearly, the entire world has seen, that seemed to

plainly show a knee on the neck of george floyd and a situation where, at least autopsy reports that we have seen, two of them, say it was a homicide. so, there is a lot of pressure here, ayou mentioned before you came to me, on attorney general keith ellison here in the state, to see what he is going to bring forward. but i can tell you, the motions are still very raw for people here in minneapolis, not just on the protesting side. i spoke with the mother of george floyd's daughter last night, who told me specifically about how difficult it was to tell their 6-year-old daughter hah happened to her father. take a listen. >> she said, "mama, something's going on with my family." and i said, "why you say that?" she said, "because i hear them saying my dad's name on tv."

we talked about it. she wanted to know how he died. and the only thing that i can tell her is he couldn't breathe. >> reporter: and again, we are expecting the family to come here in moments to, essentially, what will begin a week's worth of memorial services that start tomorrow here in minneapolis and will culminate with the funeral for george floyd back in his hometown of houston. we mentioned the visitors that have all come here. we've seen the minneapolis police chief come here and plainly say -- remember, he was the one who fired these officers within 24 hours of this happening -- he plainly said it wasn't just about former officer derek chauvin, the one seen with his knee on george floyd's neck. he also says the others, the inaction that the others took made them complicit. john? >> omar jimenez on the scene for us. we'll be back to you in a few moments, obviously expecting the floyd family to be there. don lewis is a special

prosecutor in a case like this, a case that drew national attention. thank you so much for coming back. when we spoke the other day, we talked about the challenge here. in your case, you thought you had a solid prosecution. the officer was acquitted. as the attorney general of minnesota, keith ellison, who the other day asked for patience, asked for time, said he needed time to review all the evidence so he would have, if he decided on charges, an air-tight case. he has made a decision, and we will hear shortly. your thoughts at this moment. >> well, i totally expect the attorney general to announce one or two decisions today. first of all, i expect him to upgrade the current charge against officer chauvin. and currently, it's charges of third-degree murder. but i fully expect it will be upgraded to either second-degree or first-degree premeditated murder. not only has the community voiced strongly the need to upgrade the charges, but there's actually been some concern expressed in the legal community

that the current charge of third-degree murder is, in fact, defective and needs to be upgraded, in the first instance, to be able to bring in charges against the other officers. the second decision i expect to hear today, perhaps, is to, in fact, bring charges against the other three officers. and i think that's the decision that everyone is expecting as well. >> walk me through a little bit what you meant there, in the sense that if we talk about first-degree murder, most of us assume that means they think they can prove premeditation, that officer chauvin came to work that day looking to kill somebody, looking to kill mr. floyd -- >> no, that's not necessary -- >> if that's not the case, please help me. explain. >> okay. so, you can form premeditation in a very short period of time. what a first-degree murder charge would basically contend is that, on the scene, he

decided, made a decision to kill george floyd and had a chance to think about it and then pondered a plan and then executed on that plan. now, that is a pretty serious charge, but it could very well be proven. if you consider the very events that took place in that ten-minute span, keep in mind that during this period of time, there were people observing, residents and community, begging for george floyd's life. there were actually officers there. one of the officers who was holding down the legs of george floyd actually expressed a concern about whether or not he should be turned over. and of course, george floyd himself was pleading for his life. there were many opportunities for this officer to reflect upon his actions, to ponder on what he's doing, and he decided to

continue. so, there is a potential basis for a premeditated murder claim. you don't have to think a day about it. you could think about it just over a span of a couple minutes. >> thank you for clearing that up for us. so, take us through your experience, because you know, the evidence here -- you mentioned the video. it is inhumane. you could watch -- you could show that to a jury and one would assume that it is crystal clear, at least in the case of officer chauvin. but you went through your case, you thought you had a strong case and the jury said no and acquitted. what is your advice to mr. ellison at this moment, not just in collecting the evidence, but in understanding, you're asking a jury to convict a police officer or potentially officers? >> i think keith ellison already knows based upon his experience as well as the experience of other prosecutors that these cases are not slam dunk. in fact, even when you have the greatest facts -- and he talked about the walter scott case in south carolina, when you had great facts, video that showed

that the shooting was totally unjustified -- you had a hung jury. the problem is, is that the legal standards are designed to favor the police officers. and jurors when they hear these cases are predisposed to decide tough cases in favor of police officers. so, you may have enough to bring charges, but that's just the beginning of the work. it's an up hill battle whenever you bring criminal charges against a police officer. >> don lewis, grateful for your perspective on this issue. appreciate you jumping in to help us today. let's continue the conversation with my colleague, van jones, veteran activity for criminal justice and social justice. van, the moment here, we expect to hear from attorney general ellison a bit later. we expect any second now, any minute now, the floyd family to come to what to them is an incredibly sad site, what's become a sacred site to many in the community. and as we discussed a bit earlier, protests around the

country, and indeed, around the world, have been demanding -- there are many things on the list, but first and foremost, are charges against the additional officers. put this day in context. >> well, i mean, the system is on trial now. that's the bottom line. the system itself is on trial. so many times, african-americans feel like we're on trial. there's going to be 4 billion people -- you've got 7 billion people in the world -- you've got 4 billion people who are looking right now at the united states of america and who are looking to see what keith ellison's going to do. listen, the challenge is, i've helped keith ellison, i've known him personally for almost 23 years. he is, i'll say it again, an ethics junkie. he's not going to do something that he thinks is just going to make black people happy. he's a muslim and he takes it so seriously, he would literally rather die than do something he thinks is unethical. so, that's why people are biting their nails, because all the pressure in the world is not going to move keith ellison.

he is going to look at these facts. he's going to look at that tape. he's going to look at the law. and he's going to make his decision. now, i believe that decision should be to charge all of the police officers. the protest movement will rise or fall based on whether or not all of the officers are charged. you're not going to be able to explain to literally hundreds of millions of people that, well, you know, technically, with this statute, blah, blah, blah, blah. the signal will be sent -- is it okay for cops to stand around while this stuff happens? that's the way normal people are going to see it. is it okay for a cop -- for police officers to stand around while a police officer murders someone and literally do nothing about it? that's the human standard. the law is different. and keith ellison, in some ways, is the best person and the worst person to be in this situation because he is so unyielding in his ethical kmimts. so we'll see. >> van, you know the community incredibly well, which is why we're grateful that you're here at this moment. look, we could go through the history, and we have in recent days, and there are too many of

these cases to count. as this one is before us and as we wait on mr. ellison and we also wait for the floyd family to show up there, one of the things that is different, at least in recent years, in recent days, is these, and that word spreads like this. so, what is your sense? there are protests outside the white house right now, outside the capitol right now, in places across america. what we have seen is daytime protests that have been overwhelmingly peaceful, and sometimes at night, better in the last couple of days, but more violent. what, in your view, is the conversation around the country right now? >> well, i think that the country is split because there's this righteousness about the protests. look, i think for most people -- and i'm not just talking about african-americans -- i think if you have a functioning brain stem and half of a pulse, you were shocked and floored and flattened and emotionally wrecked to watch a seven-eight-minute murder happen while people were screaming to police to stop and do something.

and so, on the one hand, that is there. on the other hand, lawlessness is the problem. and so, you now have the situation where it's lawlessness in the police force that started this whole thing. and now there's lawlessness in the communities, often by pro vok pictures, not even real protesters. and we're now trapped in this situation. do you respond to lawlessness with lawlessness? the way you get out of it is for the law to step forward, for the law to step forward and charge these officers and reassure and reassert to people that police officers have to obey the law. and before you even get to a statute, no officer should stand around while people are screaming that someone is dying and do nothing. and so, if that principle can be reasserted today, before the eyes of the whole world, then you have an off-ramp. and so, there is no pro-riot caucus in the black community. there is no pro-crime caucus in the black community. i'm raising two black boys right

here in los angeles. i'm not providing enough, nor is anybody else, but the patience of no people is without limit. no people have a patience that is without limit when it comes to these endless provocations. and so, we've got to be able to have the law assert itself so that we can get back to a normal process of getting this thing resolved. >> and this is the day when we should get answers to at least some of those questions. van jones, stand by as well. we're going to take a quick break. i remind you as we do the moment at hand. minnesota attorney general keith ellison has made a decision after reviewing the evidence from the scene. potential charges against the other officers could come today. we'll get word up or down. you're watching there where george floyd was killed nine days ago. his family due there any moment. we'll be right back. makes subar. and right now, love is more important than ever. in response to covid-19, subaru and our retailers are donating fifty million meals

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live pictures here outside the united states capitol. you see several members of the capitol police force kneeling in solidarity. there are demonstrators there all day long, chanting for peace

and justice. those officers, as we have seen in many demonstrations around the country, kneeling to show their solidarity as many of these protesters demand police reforms around the country. let's go live now to the scene of why we're seeing this all around the country and all around the world, right interest. that is the site in minneapolis where nine days ago today george floyd was killed, pinned to the ground with a knee to his neck for more than nine minutes by a minneapolis police officer. that officer there, chauvin, has been charged. the attorney general of minnesota, cnn is now reporting, has made a decision after reviewing evidence against the other officers also at the scene, and we will hear from the attorney general, keith ellison, a bit later today. floyd's family due at this site, now a shrine to george floyd. any moment now. cnn's omar jimenez is at the scene for us, as we has been reporting throughout the week-plus. fantastic reporting. omar, describe the moment at this scene. based on your being there, are the people there aware of the breaking news that we expect to hear from mr. ellison later today or are they focused mainly

on the fact that they know the family is soon to arrive? >> reporter: i spoke to one person who was here a few moments ago, and we were having that exact conversation about -- he was wondering, when are we going to see charges? i told her that we were expecting them this afternoon at some point, or at least some announcement on whether we will see charges or not. and the fact that a decision had been made did not seem to be enough. they were very skeptical that, again, these officers would have charges that would stick. and now, in regards to waiting for the family to come, as i understand from my colleague, sara sidner, benjamin crump, who is the family attorney, along with the family, just left their hotel about ten minutes ago. so they should be here any moment now. and of course, people are waiting to see the human side of what has been really just in many ways witled down to that cell phone video as it spread out throughout the entire country. i think it's often easy to forget that this is a real family that was affected by this.

this was a 6-year-old daughter who lost her father. these are siblings that lost their brother. and so, you get reminded of that when you stare into the eyes and you hear, in their own words, what this past week has been like. we got a taste of that last night. i spoke to the mother of george floyd's daughter, along with one of his good friends and former nba players steven jackson. again, we expect to hear from the family attorney as well as some of floyd's family here at this site, which as you mention, has become a bit of a holy site for protesters. a makeshift memorial over the past of the course week. but let's also remember why we have seen protests. it's not just about this floyd case. it's about trying to change the culture of policing in general. this case just happens to be an unfortunate flashpoint in this. and so, when you talk about that aspect of things -- i spoke to the governor not too long ago, when he was here visiting the sites. and we talked about the stakes of this moment, the stakes of trying to make a right decision in the eyes of the people in this moment. and he says he thinks we only

get one chance to get this right. and again, it's not just about this case. it's part of why the minnesota department of human rights announced a civil rights investigation into the minneapolis police department, trying to examine their practices over the course of the past ten years to see and examine for themselves if there are any patterns of sdrumsion discrimination there, maybe just for the fact that if this george floyd case doesn't go the way people want, there is hope for a potential long-term solution. so again, a lot at stake here. it is a very big moment that not just people here in minneapolis are watching but across the world, john. >> people around the world watchction and it's going to be a crossroads day in this investigation and the path forward. omar jimenez, we'll be with you momentarily as the family arrives. i want to bring in legal analyst joey jackson. i was just talking to don lewis, special prosecutor in the castillo case, and he thought in his view, if you are going to charge the other officers, you might need to amend the charge

against officer chauvin as well so you have a stronger legal tree, if you will. the central player, officer chauvin, and to have accessory or aiding and abetting charges against the others. did that make sense to you? >> it did, john. and so, let's just take a step back so that everyone stands what we're talking about. i think there's a couple of steps to the process. the first step regarding the anger and frustration is the delay of the arrest. of course, right? because the standard generally is that if somebody is reasonably in belief to have committed a crime, they get arrested. why not here? and so, it really strains the imagination as to why we didn't see that. we saw that as to one, which we'll get into now, arrested four days later. and here we are nine days later, as to the others, what gives, right? so it makes it seem, john, like there is a disconnect between the way this is treated and how everyone else in the world is treated and that flames tensions. now moving forward to what the charges are. you can look at first-degree murder, second-degree murder, third degree. many people have no clurks right, what that is, so let's talk about that.

when lawyers are analyzing this, and the state attorney general, first-degree murder means intent and premeditation. now, it is true that you can formulate intent on an instant, right? but it's a very difficult thing or may be difficult to prove, right? and they're going to make, obviously, defense attorneys -- oh, you think he woke up that morning looking to kill a black person on the street? those are the arguments we'll hear. so, the prosecutor has to say, even though you could formulate intent in a minute and first-degree's punishable by life, should that be the theory i pursue? maybe i don't need to show premeditation and intent because i can get 40 years when i go to second-degree murder. well, what's that? second-degree murder is intent, but i don't have to show premeditation, john, before a jury. i don't have to show it was premeditated. i just have to show it was an intentional killing. and when you have facts here, which would suggest that you're kneeing on someone's neck for nine minutes, three of which they're unconscious, you know what, you kind of get to second-degree. the third-degree murder charge could be problematic. that's braved heart murder. that means you knew what you

were doing, and you know what, you consciously disregarded the risk. you were just so devoid of humanity, you just were so callous and someone died. the problem that that's defective is because, generally, that's a charge, where say you fire into a crowd and someone gets killed. well, you're accused of and can be responsible for third-degree murder. you didn't mean to kill anybody, but you killed one. and there's a question as to whether third-degree murder can be applied to one person, meaning, is it depraved heart as to a crowd and one gets killed or as to one? and that's what was suggested earlier when he was saying that it could be defective. in terms of the other charges, john, and to conclude, the other officers could be deemed just as complicit. we've been talking about silent or standing around. there's more than that. if you look at the number of tapes that have been provided, the other officers were on him, too. at least three of them were. and then, of course, we had george floyd who was saying things, like "i can't breathe," "mom," you know, "you're gonna kill me." and it would strain the

imagination if you're an officer there and you didn't hear that, you didn't know he was in distress? you're wearing a badge. you have a gun. you have an opportunity to prevent this and act. you have a duty and obligation to do so and you don't? and so, yes, there's a feeling that those other officers are complicit. those other officers are involved. those other officers aided, abetted, assisted, and should be held accountable. and that's, i think, what they're looking at, that is the state's attorney general, with respect to moving forward and seeing if there are viable charges to pursue. >> joey, stand by for us as we continue the conversation. and i want to bring van jones back in. van, you mentioned that you know keith ellison and have known him for some time, that you trust him as a man of integrity and high ethics. i want you to listen to a little bit of what he said the other day right here on cnn when he was appealing for patience, saying "i've got to get this right." >> now that i'm in this role of prosecuting the case, i need to make sure that i'm not commenting on the evidence. i know that's very unsatisfactory for people who

have seen the tape and saw outrage. i sympathize with that, but i'm just asking for them to trust me to make sure that i see this prosecution all the way through the right way. >> help me, van, understand the "all the way through the right way." because if there are charges filed today against the other officers -- and we don't know that yet. we just know a decision has been made by the attorney general, and we will get that decision later today. but even if, you say it could be a potential circuit breaker, the beginning of an off-ramp. but because i talked to mr. lewis in the castille case -- we could go through so many other charges where you might have a charge, but you don't get a conviction. what is the test ahead for mr. ellison? >> that's classic keith ellison. i mean, he is somebody who is going to take his responsibilities very seriously and, you know, because he's so devout in terms of his faith. and obviously, you know, he's playing a secular role here, but character matters, who the person is matters. for him, to do something unethical with this is -- when i

say he would rather die -- he would really literally rather die than do something unethical. and so, when he says see it through all the way, the right way, i imagine what he means is, you know, he knows he's got the one officer he's got to charge. he wants to make sure he charges that one the right way. and the rest of the process is, does he charge the rest of them into witnesses or defendants? that's a question he's got to decide as a prosecutor. and he's going to -- i guarantee -- and he'll drive everybody nuts. i guarantee there's not a single person, they're not banging their head against a wall, because he's going to ask every single question, everything, and he's going to hold it against the law and ethics. so, i'm very interested to hear what he has to say, because i'm sure it will, if i'm -- it will probably not satisfy everybody. i have no idea what he's going to do. but i know the way he's going to do it. and i've known this guy since he was a grassroots organizer, you know. prince was a very close friend of mine and that brought us into a lot of contact together in

minnesota. i'm telling you, there's, without -- i can guarantee you there's not a single person in his office not banging their head against a wall trying to deal with keith ellison's ethical standards. >> well, we're waiting for that announcement. as we wait, we're also waiting for the family of george floyd to come to what has become a shrine there in minneapolis. we're waiting for the family and their attorney to come as well. one of their key demands has been that the other officers be charged. i want to bring in greg brower, former senior official at fbi, familiar with building a case. our sara sidner caught up the other day with the minneapolis police chief who came to the site to pay tribute to mr. floyd. and often, when you have a police prosecution, there is a brotherhood, if you will, and the blue wall of silence. the officers don't want to talk about the conduct of others, but listen to the chief here talking about the conduct of his own men. >> they want to know if the other officers should be arrested in your mind and if you see that they should all four be convicted in this case.

>> mr. floyd died in our hands. and so, i see that as being complicit. so, that is about as much as -- and i apologize to the floyd family if i am not more clear, but i don't see a difference in terms of the ultimate outcome is he is not here with us. >> greg, i'm going to ask you to stand by and go straight to the scene, first to omar jimenez, because we're getting indications that the family either is about to arrive or has arrived on the scene. i just want to check in with omar to tell us what the latest is. >> reporter: well, right now as we understand, the family seems to be on the scene as well. my guess is, as you are watching a crush of cameras move through -- they're at eye level, so i can't tell who is in the middle of the circle, but based on the timing that i had gotten a few moments ago as to their arrival of the family, along with the family attorney, ben crump, it seems to be that they are making their way over to the scene, to this intersection, where george floyd's final moments played out on camera now

a little bit more than a week ago at this point. as we have seen throughout this minneapolis area and throughout the state, it has been a very painful time for not just this part of the country but for the country overall. it's been emblematic of, it seems relations, relationship struggles between police and community that we have seen play out in cities throughout the country in this, and we have seen that manifest itself in protests, protests that have at times grown violent and have resulted in fires, again, and with huge clashes between police and the community and protesters as well. they are making their way over to the exact site where george floyd laid on the curb here in southern minneapolis right now, right outside the cup foods, which, of course, is where all of this originated. the 911 call from inside for an alleged $20 counterfeit bill. that was what brought the police to the scene. and then a few moments after that, a few minutes after they

got to the scene was what proceeded, what we saw unfold on that now-infamous cell phone video, with the officer, derek chauvin's knee, on the neck of george floyd for minutes, as people in the background and on the curb pleaded with him to let up and pleaded with that officer to at least have that pulse checked. and this, of course, comes on what could be a very historic and momentous day for this case, a day that protesters and the family may have been waiting for, where, as we understand from the minnesota attorney general, who has taken over this case here, that a decision has been made in regards to whether we will or won't see charges against the other three officers in this case. that's reporting from my colleague, josh campbell. we've already seen charges against one officer, officer derek chauvin. i mentioned his role in this. and those charges, as they stand right now, third-degree murder and manslaughter. the family is stepping up to the podium right now to give some words. let's listen in.

>> i'm attorney ben crump, the lead attorney for the family of george floyd. >> quiet, please! >> i'm attorney ben crump, the attorney for the family of george floyd, and recently arriving in minneapolis is his son, quincy mason. he's going to make a few remarks to you. understand, this is a young man who is brokenhearted, and this is very emotional for him. now, we come here today, to this spot, to remember george floyd, who was tortured, who was tortured to death. and so, we thank the minnesota governor for bringing human rights charges against the

minneapolis police department, because we actually believe that he was tortured in the last eight minutes and 46 seconds of his life. witness donna williams yesterday, who was the person in the video saying "you all are going to kill him, likened it to suffocation like a fish out of water, gasping for air. the independent autopsy performed by the family concluded that george floyd was starving for air. he needed a breath. and the ambulance that came here to pick him up from this very spot was the hearse for george floyd. and so, we are demanding

justice, based on the autopsy findings, but more importantly, what the entire world has seen now with their eyes that they cannot unsee. the autopsy, the medical reasons cause of death was mechanical asphyxiation based on the knee to his neck and the two knees to his back that was compressing his lungs, not allowing them to circulate air and blood to his brain. he died because he was starving for air. he needed a breath. and so, we are demanding justice. we expect all of the police officers to be arrested before we have the memorial here in minneapolis, minnesota, tomorrow.

because we cannot have two justice systems in america, one for black america and one for white america. we must have equal justice for the united states of america. >> yeah! [ cheers and applause ] >> and change is going to come in the tragic killing of george floyd. and i proclaim with his son as my witness, that change starts today! [ cheers and applause ] we are confident that attorney general keith ellison is working feverishly to do the right thing, and what is the right

thing? to make sure that george floyd's family is afforded justice by holding these officers accountable to the full extent of the law, each and every one of those four officers! >> yeah! yeah, we want that! [ applause ] >> attorney general ellison has a track record as champion civil rights for those who are marginalized, for people like george floyd, because black lives matter, and george floyd's life mattered, too. >> yes, it does. >> quincy is going to make a few remarks. i will try to take a few questions, and then we're going to let him go receive the rest of his family at the airport, and then we will keep you updated. we fully expect there to be an

announcement with these officers being arrested, and we will give you the family reaction when that happens. but right now, i introduce to the world mr. quincy mason, george floyd's son, to say a few remarks on behalf of him and his family. talk as loud as you can. >> i'm here reunited with misdemeanmy family, trying to get justice for my father. no man or woman should be without their fathers. and we want justice for what's going on right now. i appreciate everyone joining us in support and love. i thank y'all for that. this is so emotional. >> quincy, we've seen so many protests around the world, including in australia, about

what's happened to your father. a lot of people there are protesting about what's happened, people of color in custody in australia. do you have any message to them about what has happened? >> i just want to thank them for supporting my family and to receive justice. >> how important is change? this is a pivotal moment in our country because of what happened to your father. how important is this? what do you want to see happen? >> we need no chance this is happening to anybody else. >> quincy, could you speak -- did you learn about the death of your father on tv, like everybody else? is that the first time you -- >> his family notified him. >> quincy, we love you, man! >> thank you all. >> we love you, quincy! >> thank you very much. >> what charges are you expecting? what do you expect the three

other officers to be charged with? >> we are expecting these officers to be charged as accomplices for the killing of george floyd. >> hold on, i'm going to share with everybody why the situation -- he's not going to say anything. okay, all right, let's keep it close. >> talk to us about what we saw in that video, those three other officers and why you believe they are complicit. >> obviously, as the police chief said, these officers are complicit by their silence, but we now know based on the audio from their body cam video that they also are accomplices because their failure to act when they knew that they did not have a pulse. remember, one officer said, "he doesn't have a pulse, maybe we should turn him over on his side."

however, officer chauvin said, no, we're going to keep him in that position. to us, that is intent. and that's why the family is calling for first-degree murder charges against officer chauvin, for having his knee in his neck, and equally important is the fact that those two knees in his back, for not one minute, not two minutes, not three minutes, not four minutes, not five minutes, not six minutes -- >> that's right! >> not seven minutes. >> keep going! >> not eight minutes! but almost nine minutes! eight minutes and 46 seconds, george floyd begged for air. he called out for quincy's grandmother. he called out to anybody who

would listen. and seemed like the lay people on the street were listening. the people who refused to listen were the people who were supposed to listen. it was supposed to be the police who were meant to protect and serve george floyd, because george floyd was an american citizen, and george floyd was a human being. george floyd deserved humanity. and also, the system needed to be listening to george floyd, not just to police, but the prosecutors, the criminal justice system, the judges, the legislators, the president, america needed to be listening when george floyd said, "i can't breathe," because when he couldn't breathe, none of us

could breathe! >> that's right! >> and so, this is a tipping point. this is a tipping point. this moment is a tipping point to change america and see if america truly believes in the words of thomas jefferson, that we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equally, that they're endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights that amongst them are life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. with america, that means black people, too. [ applause ] does that answer your question, george? okay. >> what about -- >> what do you say -- >> two quick questions. >> what do you say to the other three officers who did not intervene? what do you say to them?

>> you know, the family of george floyd watched a video in ago agony. you've seen philonis, you've seen rodney. you've seen bridget. you've seen terrence. you've seen his children. they are horrified at what they witnessed on this video. i think every human being who has any humanity in them are horrified what they see on this video. the only question is, why weren't those police officers horrified? and so, the family's statement to those police officers are they are just as guilty for the death of george floyd as officer

chauvin. they all participated. and when people tried to help, the officers took out mace, when donna williams and the emt, the laywitness who were there, they threatened them, that we won't let you give humanity -- even though we're not going to give humanity, we won't let you give george floyd any humanity. and so, the message is clear, do your job to the people who are responsible for doing justice, because all the world is watching. all the world is watching. all the world is watching! all the world is watching! all the world is watching. all the world is watching. [ crowd chanting ] >> what do you think of the way the world has responded? what do you think of the way the world has responded?

and also how america has responded? >> the response of the world has been heartening to this family. their entire family have been very heartening. they receive it as a blessing that george floyd's life mattered to more than just them. it is very important to note who george was. there are videos on social media that george believed in peaceful protests. brendan williams, who was george's nephew, who was like a father to brandon, says that they talked almost every day.

and during the ferguson protests, during the baltimore protests, and just recently during the sacramento protests, you had george floyd praying for peaceful protests. you know, the forensic scientist, dr. michael bodden and dr. alicia wilson, who did the family's autopsy, said that george died because he needed a breath. and so, i am imploring, along with george floyd's family, for all of us to take a breath for peace. let's take a breath for justice. let's take a breath to heal our country. and most importantly, let's take

a breath for george floyd as we get ready to memorialize him this week and lay him to his final rest on next tuesday. let's take a breath this week to heal the country and to remember george. let's follow george's example. he would have wanted peaceful protests. he wants everybody to use their voice, but he wants them to do it in a constructive way. so, as we get ready to memorialize him on tomorrow at north-central university with all his family, i also want us to remember that breonna taylor, the young lady who was executed in the sanctity of her own home in louisville, kentucky, birthday will be on friday. so, let's take a breath for breonna as well. let's take a breath for ahmaud

arbery as well. let's take a breath for terence crutcher as well. let's take a breath for pamela turner, who was killed in houston. let's take a breath for otto sterling who was killed in baton rouge, louisiana. let's take a breath for philando castillo who was killed here in minneapolis, minnesota. let's take a breath for laquan mcdonald, who was killed in chicago, illinois. let's take a breath for sandra bland, who was killed in texas. let's take a breath for natasha mckinney, who was killed by police in virginia. >> that's right. >> let's take a breath for stephon clark who was killed in sacramento, california. let's take a breath for cory jones, who was killed in palm beach, florida. let's take a breath for botham jean, who was killed in his own apartment in dallas, texas. let's take a breath for eric gardner, who was killed in staten island, new york. let's take a breath for freddie gray, who was killed in

baltimore, maryland. let's take a breath for walter scott, who was killed in south carolina. let's take a breath for jamont clark who was killed here in minneapolis. let's take a breath for -- >> hasel nelson, north side minneapolis! >> let's take a breath for michael brown, who was killed in ferguson. let's take a breath for 12-year-old tamir rice, who was killed in cleveland, ohio, by the police. let's take a breath for trayvon benjamin martin who was killed in sanford, florida. let's take a breath for emmett till, who was killed in mississip mississippi. let's take a breath collectively for all of the marginalized and disenfranchised and dehumanized

people, whether black, brown, white, or red, who was killed unjustifiably, who were killed unnecessarily, and who was killed senselessly, because they are american citizens, one, they are human beings, two. and finally, we should all remember, they are children of god. thank you so much. we will respond to you when we get the announcement. [ applause ] >> benjamin crump, the family attorney for george floyd's family, the gentleman in the red shirt, the marine shirt to the left of crump, quincy mason floyd, son of george floyd who gave statements as well. crump reciting a long list, too long of a list of other african-americans who have died at the hands of police in other cases.

as you watch the family here in minneapolis, i want to go straight to omar jimenez, who is nearby watching this incredibly emotional scene play out. and omar, we know the attorney general will make an announcement shortly. he has reviewed the evidence against all four officers. one has been charged. three have not. that could change a bit later today. you're right there in this remarkably emotional scene. describe it for us. >> reporter: well, john, all of this is playing out in the exact spot where george floyd took his final breaths a little bit over a week ago today, where benjamin crump, the family attorney, was speaking alongside quincy mason floyd, george floyd's son, as well. you heard the emotion and the words, but in their faces, again, you're reminded of the humanity in this story, the people that are truly affected by the loss of a father, the loss of a sibling and so forth. now, in regards to what we are going to see moving forward, you mentioned the charges or the decision on charges that we are

expecting to hear later this afternoon. that was something benjamin crump, the family attorney, spoke on a little bit, saying that he has full confidence in the minnesota attorney general, keith ellison, that these officers -- that floyd, i should say, will be afforded justice to the full extent of the law. and that seems to be what they are pushing for in this. but even, to go even further and get specific, even though we haven't heard which way these other three officers will go, whether they will face charges or not, attorney crump seems confident that we will know that these officers are charged before we have the minneapolis memorial here for george floyd in this city. as you see people here, as you see floyd and the family making their exit from this site here, again, over a week after those final moments played out in this -- at this intersection. and what you may have heard over the course of some of those words was the reaction from the audience as well. there were chants at one point in support of george floyd, and

there was one line in particular that got everyone very excited because it landed just so significantly, saying that "we're america. that means black people too. and that's a message that plays not just here in minneapolis, but places across the country are using as a rallying cry for protests. because let's remember, the protests we have seen are not just about the george floyd case. you just go down the laundry list of cases that crump mentioned from breonna taylor to trayvon martin. this is about generations of relations between community and police. >> omar jimenez on the scene for us. and van jones, let's pick up where omar left off. you can mention michael background or philando castillo and many more, mr. crump going through the list there. it is a sad list. it is a stain, the legacy stain on this country. so, that brings me to the question. mr. crump says this is a tipping point. and what we have seen across the country and around the world even could lead you to believe

that it could well be a tipping point, but when he goes through that history and you know the history of the outcomes of many of the investigations in those cases, those were not tipping points, sadly. do you believe this is? >> i believe it can be. first of all, it's very emotional to see the son for people, because all of us have this fear that maybe some day that will be my son, that will be my nephew or that will be my cousin standing there and having to -- now, we do this for a living, john. we can talk in front of cameras. we can riff, we can freestyle. it just brings it home. this is what the fear is in our community, you know. and black people get killed by all kinds of stuff, okay? let's just be honest. you know, gang members, high blood pressure, you know. we go to a lot of funerals in the black community. but there's something, the

historical trauma when an unarmed african-american man or woman is killed by law enforcement, because everybody else looks to law enforcement for safety. you just know that at the end of the day, you can put up that signal, you can dial 911, and help is there. and so, you spend your life with a little bit of a security blanket that we just don't have in the same way. and so often people regret calling 911 because they show up and they traumatize everybody because they don't treat us with the same respect all too often. i'm not talking about every officer. i'm talking about the law enforcement family. but all too often, that's what it is. and so, to see that young man there was so heartbreaking. and then, please understand, every one of those names that attorney crump went through is a household name in the black community because we suffered with those families. we hope that in those cases that something would change. and so, that long recitation,

you know, was a reminder of how long this journey has been. but i do think it can be different now, because he was not running. he was not armed. there was no excuse. you couldn't say, well, it was a split-second decision, you know, what can a cop do? a cop has to defend himself. you know, in that moment, if he hadn't talked back, if he hadn't fought back. there is nothing we can tell our children that would have saved that man's life. we have to believe as black people that we can sprinkle a little bit of dust on our children called the talk. that's a little fairy dust we put on top of our children. don't talk back. say "yes, sir," say "no, ma'am," keep your hands in sight, you know, don't have any drugs on you, you know. and we believe by putting this fairy dust on our children called the talk, they can then go out there and be protected. there is not one thing that we can tell our children that would stop a police officer from doing that. one minute, two minute, three minutes, four minutes, five minutes, six minutes, seven