The Office of the Attorney General of the State of Minnesota, United States yesterday announced charges levelled against all of the four sacked police officers who played a role in the death of an African American, George Floyd in Minneapolis.

The charge against Derek Chauvin has been elevated to second-degree murder. Derek Chauvin had initially been  charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

The other three sacked officers are Thomas Lane, J Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao. They all face charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder, and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.

Floyd’s death has sparked huge protests against racism across the US particularly the recurrence of police killings of black Americans.

Majority of the demonstrations over the past eight days have been peaceful, but some have turned violent and curfews have been imposed on a number of cities across the country.