This combination of booking photos provided by the Hennepin County Jail in Minneapolis, Minnesota shows (L-R) ex-officers Derek Chauvin, Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Kiernan Lane.
A former Minneapolis police officer accused of pressing his knee into the neck of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, was charged on Wednesday with a more serious count of second-degree murder.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said he believes available evidence against Derek Chauvin supports the stronger charge.
Chauvin was initially charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
The second-degree murder count carries a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison compared with 25 years for third-degree murder.
Prosecutors also leveled charges for the first time against three other former officers who were at the scene when Floyd died in police custody on May 25.
They were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
The incident has sparked protests nationwide and around the world against police brutality and racial discrimination.
<Photo: Yonhap News>
