Three former Minnesota police officers who were at the scene of George Floyd's death have been charged with aiding and abetting a murder and a fourth has had his charge upgraded to second-degree murder.
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The most serious charge was filed against Derek Chauvin, whose caught-on-video treatment of the handcuffed Floyd spurred worldwide protests.
Three other officers - Thomas Lane, J Kueng and Tou Thao - were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.
All four were fired last week.
The new charges were filed by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who planned an announcement later on Wednesday.
Lawyer for Floyd's family, Benjamin Crump, called it "a bittersweet moment" and "a significant step forward on the road to justice".
Crump said Ellison had told the family he would continue his investigation into Floyd's death and upgrade the charge to first-degree murder if warranted.
Earlier on Wednesday, in a visit to a makeshift shrine at the street corner where Floyd died, his family had again called for the arrests of Lane, Kueng and Thao.
Minnesota has opened a civil rights investigation into whether the Minneapolis Police Department has a pattern of discrimination against minorities.
Australian Associated Press
