Officer stabbed, 2 shot in Brooklyn, hours into NYC curfew
- All four Minneapolis police officers involved in George Floyd’s death have been charged. Derek Chauvin, who knelt on Floyd’s neck, has been charged with second-degree murder, up from third-degree murder. He also faces a second-degree manslaughter charge. The other three are charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter.
- US President Donald Trump was rebuked by his former defence secretary, James Mattis, who said he was trying to sow divisions. Trump’s current defence chief, Mark Esper, also said he opposed Trump’s threat to send in the military to quell unrest.
- Trump also outraged faith leaders and protesters for walking to a church near the White House for a photo opportunity, minutes after police used chemical smoke canisters and flashbangs on peaceful protesters to clear the area.
- Protesters have remained undeterred by curfews and the presence of the US National Guard in some cities. Largely peaceful protests have at times turned violent, with looting and vandalism. Wednesday’s protests remained largely peaceful after curfews took effect.
- Those protesting against police brutality have been met with, at times, excessive force by authorities. Journalists have also been targeted by police. Officers have also been injured in the protests.
Thursday, June 4
10:34 GMT – US Park Police investigate attack on Australian journalists
The US Park Police said it has placed two officers on administrative leave after video showed two Australian journalists being attacked during Monday night’s protest in Washington, DC.
Acting Chief Gregory T. Monahan said the attack is being investigated.
Video captured by WJLA-TV in Washington showed reporter Amanda Brace and cameraman Tim Myers being assaulted as law enforcement officials cleared an area near the White House so Trump could walk to a nearby church that had been damaged during the demonstrations the previous night.
The journalists were reporting live for Australia’s Channel 7 on the demonstrations protesting George Floyd’s death at police hands in Minnesota.
“As is consistent with our established practices and procedures, two US Park Police officers have been assigned to administrative duties, while an investigation takes place regarding the incident with the Australian Press,” Monahan said in a statement posted on Twitter.
Australia’s ambassador to the United States has complained about the attack that the network’s news director Craig McPherson described as “nothing short of wanton thuggery”.
10:32 GMT – Fundraisers say donations to Biden surge
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his allies have seen donations swell in recent days, several top fundraisers said.
Trump’s response to the demonstrations over George Floyd’s death pushed new donors and even some Republicans to open their checkbooks, the fundraisers said.
“I’ve seen several significant donors who had never been involved in politics before but believe that something has to be done,” said Michael Kempner, a New York-based fundraiser for Biden.
He called the influx “a sea change in the level of urgency and the size of the commitments,” but declined to compare recent totals with previous figures because of Biden’s relatively new arrangement with the Democratic National Committee that allows for much higher contributions.
Biden, the former vice president who will face the Republican Trump in the November 3 election, told supporters in an email on Monday that his campaign hit an ambitious $6mn online fundraising goal over six days at the end of May.
Trump has denounced those who carried out looting during protests as “thugs,” and his campaign has reiterated his calls for “law and order” in fundraising appeals this week.
07:52 GMT – Arrests at widespread US protests hit 10,000
More than 10,000 people have been arrested in protests across the US, according to an Associated Press tally of known arrests.
In a nearly 24-hour period from Saturday night to Sunday afternoon, 41 of the 52 people cited with protest-related arrests had Minnesota driver’s licenses, according to the Hennepin County sheriff.
In the nation’s capital, 86 percent of the more than 400 people arrested as of Wednesday afternoon were from Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia.
In Los Angeles, an online fundraising campaign has gathered $2 million so far to help more than 3,000 people arrested in demonstrations since Floyd died on May 25 in Minneapolis.
Los Angeles Chief Michel Moore told the city’s Police Commission the bulk of the arrests, about 2,500, were for failure to disperse or curfew violations.
The rest were for crimes including burglary, looting, assaults on police officers and other violence, Moore told the panel, which functions as the police department’s civilian oversight board.
The only other US city with an arrest toll that comes close to Los Angeles’ is New York, with about 2,000, according to AP’s tally.
The AP tally didn’t take into account any additional arrests still unreported from Wednesday evening.
07:50 GMT – Deputy mayor in Maine charged in case of racist Floyd post
The deputy mayor of a Maine city has resigned and was charged with filing a false report after he said someone hacked his social media account to make racist statements about the George Floyd killing.
Brewer police said Thomas Morelli was charged in relation to the incident, the Bangor Daily News reported on Wednesday.
Morelli issued a statement in which he said he is “ashamed of my comments and behavior” and acknowledged his participation in “Facebook trolling.”
Morelli had told police on Monday that someone had gained access to his Facebook account to post racist comments about Floyd.
An investigation determined that Morelli made the comments, police said.
07:45 GMT – UK says expects US to protect media freedoms
Britain expects the United States to continue its tradition of protecting media freedoms, foreign minister Dominic Raab said when asked about protests sparked by the death of George Floyd.
