May 25, 2020: George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, is killed during an encounter with four Minneapolis police officers who responded to a call that a man used a counterfeit $20 bill at a store at the corner of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in south Minneapolis. A video recorded by a bystander goes viral showing officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck for nearly 9½ minutes.
Timeline: Investigations of Minneapolis police after George Floyd's murder
A look at the investigations into the Minneapolis Police Department since George Floyd's murder in 2020.
June 16, 2023 at 3:03PM
May 26, 2020: Shortly after midnight, Minneapolis police release a statement describing Floyd's death as "a medical incident during a police interaction." It makes no mention of Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck. The four officers at the scene are fired and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey calls for them to be charged. The FBI launches an investigation. Thousands march in Minneapolis and protesters clash with police outside MPD's Third Precinct on Lake Street. The intersection of 38th and Chicago becomes a makeshift memorial known as George Floyd Square.
May 28, 2020: As violent protests continue in Minneapolis, St. Paul and cities around the country, protesters overrun Minneapolis' Third Precinct and set fire to the building. Gov. Tim Walz activates the Minnesota National Guard. It is the Guard's largest deployment since World War II.
May 29, 2020: Chauvin is arrested and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
June 5, 2020: MPD announces new limits on the use of force by officers, including a ban on chokeholds and neck restraints as well as stronger requirements for officers to intervene if a colleague is using excessive force.
June 9, 2020: Floyd's funeral is held and he is buried next to his mother in Houston, Texas, where he lived most of his life.
July 15, 2020: Floyd's family files a federal wrongful-death lawsuit against Minneapolis and the four police officers, citing a "reckless disregard" for Floyd's civil rights.
Jan. 12, 2021: Judge Peter Cahill rules Chauvin will stand trial separately from the other three officers, J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao.
March 9, 2021: Jury selection begins in Chauvin's murder trial.
March 12, 2021: Minneapolis leaders agree to pay a record $27 million to settle the wrongful-death lawsuit brought by Floyd's family.
April 20, 2021: Chauvin is convicted on all counts and later sentenced to 22 years in prison. The remaining three officers reached plea deals or were convicted and sentenced to prison.
March 8, 2022: Review of Minneapolis' response to unrest from May 25-June 3, 2020, is released. It notes that city leaders did not follow an emergency operations plan in response to riots.
March 31, 2022: Minnesota Department of Public Safety review of the state's response to the civil unrest says state and local law enforcement failed to quickly coordinate when riots broke out.
April 27, 2022: Minnesota Department of Human Rights investigation into Minneapolis and its police force finds a pattern of race discrimination in violation of the state Human Rights Act.
June 16, 2023: The U.S. Department of Justice presented the results of a sweeping investigation, concluding that the Minneapolis Police Department engaged in a "pattern or practice of conduct that deprives people of their rights under the Constitution."
Staff writers Matt DeLong and Susan Du and staff researcher John Wareham contributed to this report.
These Minnesotans are poised to play prominent roles in state and national politics in the coming years.
