Chauvin was ready to plead for third-degree murder

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was ready to plead guilty to third-degree murder in George Floyd’s death before then Attorney General William Barr personally blocked the plea deal last year, officials said.

The deal would have averted all possible federal charges, including a civil rights felony, as part of an effort to resolve the case quickly to prevent more protests after protests and riots damaged part of southern Minneapolis. said two law enforcement officers with direct knowledge. of the conversations. The officials spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to discuss the talks.

Barr partially turned down the deal because he felt it was too early as the investigation into Floyd’s death was still in its infancy, officials said.

That Chauvin had been in pleas has previously been reported, and those talks appear to have delayed a May 28 press conference convened by the U.S. attorney in Minneapolis for nearly two hours while they were in progress. But the detail about Chauvin agreeing to plead guilty to a specific charge is new, and was first reported by The New York Times on Wednesday night.

Floyd, a black man handcuffed at the time, died on May 25 after the white officer knelt on his neck for several minutes, even when Floyd exclaimed that he couldn’t breathe. Highly-seen bystander video sparked protests in the city, including violence, arson and theft, and quickly spread across the country.

Chauvin was fired shortly after Floyd’s death. It is scheduled for March 8 on charges including second-degree murder and manslaughter. Three more officers on the ground, also since their discharge, are scheduled for release later this year.

Tom Kelly, Chauvin’s attorney at the time of the pleadings, said on Thursday that he could not discuss the matter. Chauvin is now represented by Eric Nelson, who declined comment. A spokeswoman for the US attorney’s office declined to comment.

Separately, the judge hearing the Chauvin case on Thursday dismissed a prosecution request to reinstate a third-degree murder charge.

Prosecutors argued that a recent Minnesota Court of Appeals decision confirms a third-degree murder conviction for Mohamed Noor, a Minneapolis officer convicted in the shooting of an unarmed 911 caller in 2017, set a precedent supporting recovery. Judge Peter Cahill ruled that the Norwegian ruling will have no precedent for further proceedings before the state’s Supreme Court.

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Associated Press writer Mike Balsamo contributed from Washington.