Birmingham Chief: Four Cops, 'NOT Just One,' Killed George Floyd

BIRMINGHAM, AL — Birmingham's police chief believes the death of George Floyd wasn't the sole fault of former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin, who was filmed Monday as he pinned Floyd's neck to the ground for several minutes.

That's because Floyd's final moments, and his pleas for air, occurred with three other officers on the scene.

"Four officers are responsible for Floyd’s death, NOT just one," Birmingham Chief of Police Patrick Smith said in a statement tweeted by the department Friday; the statement began with Smith voicing support for Minneapolis Chief of Police Medaria Arradondo's decision to fire the four officers involved in Floyd's death.

Smith's statement continued: "It is imperative that we in law enforcement show respect and compassion to all communities we serve in order to maintain a positive partnership and cohesive community trust. #4NOT1."

Four officers are responsible for Floyd’s death, NOT just one. It is imperative that we in law enforcement show respect and compassion to all communities we serve in order to maintain a positive partnership and cohesive community trust. #4NOT1
— Bhampolice (@BhamPolice) May 29, 2020

Less than hour after the Smith released his statement, Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. The other three fired officers, identified as Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J Alexander Kueng, have not been charged or arrested.

Floyd's death has sparked protests and horror from top law enforcement officials across the country

Bill Partridge, president of the Alabama Association of Chiefs of Police Chiefs — and a police chief himself in Oxford — posted a statement to Facebook along with a photo of Chauvin with his knee on Floyd's neck.

"This is not a police officer," Patridge wrote. "This is not American law enforcement. This is someone who has no integrity, honor, emotion, or respect... These four people have stained every professional law enforcement officer who swore an oath to protect and defend the communities they serve."

Floyd's family and protesters continue to demand charges, but it's not clear whether the remaining three officers, who have not been named, will face arrests themselves.

But for Alabama's top prosecutor in Jefferson County, District Attorney Danny Carr, the circumstances of Floyd's death suggest legal questions about their culpability, as the video appears to show them doing nothing to intervene as Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd's neck.

"It seems like there is far too many killings and a lot less of serving and protecting," Carr told CBS42. "Was there a specific intent to kill, did they have a duty to stop what was going on?"