Image via Trevor Hughes / USA Today //

Just a bit closer to justice…

In an update that will hopefully help ease racial tensions in the US, the former Minneapolis Police officer who pressed his knee into George Floyd’s neck has now been had his charges increased to second-degree murder, and the other three officers on the scene are now being charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.

“I strongly believe that these developments are in the interest of justice for Mr. Floyd, his family, our community and our state,” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said while announcing the charges.

Derek Chauvin, the officer who pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck, had been previously charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, with the aiding officers Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Krueng and Tou Thao, initially not being charged. Chauvin is currently being held at the Minnesota Department of Corrections facility in Oak Park with bail set at $1 million, with the other three officers having bail set at the same amount.

The update comes as rioting and protests continue to increase in intensity each and every day, with cities all across America (as well as in many other parts of the world) protesting the poor treatment of African Americans and black people all around the world. If found guilty, the officers involved in Floyd’s murder could each face up to 40 years in prison…