June 3 George Floyd protest news

By Jessie Yeung, Steve George, Laura Smith-Spark, Peter Wilkinson, Meg Wagner, Melissa Macaya, Mike Hayes and Fernando Alfonso III, CNN

Updated 7:15 p.m. ET, June 4, 2020
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7:32 p.m. ET, June 3, 2020

6 Atlanta police officers booked on charges related to tasing incident

From CNN’s Dianne Gallagher, Pamela Kirkland, Jessica King and Jamiel Lynch

Fulton County Sheriff's Office
Fulton County Sheriff's Office

Six Atlanta police officers have been booked after charges were filed against them related to a tasing incident in Atlanta on Saturday night.

The officers were filmed in downtown Atlanta breaking windows of a vehicle, yanking a woman out of the car and tasing a man. Both were later identified as students from Spelman College and Morehouse College.

District Attorney Paul Howard announced charges against the officers on Tuesday.

CNN has reached out to the police union for comment.

7:21 p.m. ET, June 3, 2020

US Park Police investigates incident with Australian press

From CNN's Angus Watson in Sydney 

The US Park Police said on Twitter Wednesday it is investigating an incident involving Australian journalists covering protests in Washington, DC, on Monday.

The tweeted statement attributed to acting Chief Gregory Monahan said two officers have been placed on administrative duties while the investigation takes place.

CNN has previously reported that Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for an investigation after two of the country's journalists were attacked Monday.

During a live morning newscast on the program "Sunrise" on Tuesday in Australia, police were seen using their shields to clear Channel 7 News US correspondent Amelia Brace and photojournalist Tim Myers from the scene. The Australian outlet is a CNN affiliate. 

The video showed police hitting Myers and punching his camera. Another officer then directs the pair, who were trapped against a wall, to move on, before appearing to smack Brace in the back with a baton.

Hear more:

7:25 p.m. ET, June 3, 2020

All former officers involved in George Floyd's death are now in custody

From CNN’s Eric Fiegel

Derek Chauvin, Tou Thao, Thomas Lane Kiernan, and J. Alexander Kueng.
Derek Chauvin, Tou Thao, Thomas Lane Kiernan, and J. Alexander Kueng. Hennepin County Sheriff's Office

All of the former Minneapolis Police officers charged in connection with the death of George Floyd are now in custody. 

Thomas Lane and Tou Thao both were processed into the Hennepin County jail around 5 p.m. local time Wednesday, according to jail records.

Former officer J. Alexander Kueng turned himself in earlier in the afternoon, his attorney Thomas Plunkett told CNN. 

Derek Chauvin – whose knee was on Floyd’s neck and is accused of second-degree murder – has been in custody since last week. All four are being held on $1 million bail.

7:55 p.m. ET, June 3, 2020

Charges filed against dozens for crimes during protests in Los Angeles

From CNN's Cheri Mossburg

More than 60 people are facing charges for crimes during recent protests in Los Angeles.

Most of the charges filed by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office were for looting, but others include assault and/or battery of a peace officer, robbery, burglary, and receiving stolen property.

The charges are related to incidents in downtown L.A., Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Long Beach, and other areas throughout the county.

The district attorney’s office said it expected more cases to be presented later this week.

Between Friday and Monday, the Los Angeles Police Department arrested about 2,700 people, Officer Rosario Cervantes told CNN. They are still tabulating arrests from Tuesday, she said.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department did not provide the number of people arrested in connection with protests. Deputy Trina Schrader told CNN that release of numbers could be further delayed, as sheriff's offices will likely close due to a large crowd of protesters currently outside.

6:50 p.m. ET, June 3, 2020

Walmart removes firearms and ammo from some stores due to protest concerns

From CNN's Allen Kim

Walmart is removing firearms and ammunition from sales floors in some of its stores following nationwide protests sparked by the death of George Floyd.

Floyd, an unarmed 46-year-old black man, died last week at the hands of police in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Protests erupted across the US, demanding justice for Floyd and an end to police brutality.

Many businesses — including major retailers such as Target — were damaged or looted during the unrest. Cities across the US have imposed curfews in an attempt to avoid violent protests.

"As a responsible seller of hunting and sporting firearms, we have temporarily removed firearms and ammunition from the sales floor in some stores out of an abundance of caution," Walmart said in a statement to CNN.

Walmart does not sell firearms or ammunition in many of the areas that have experienced issues due to looting, but the retailer made the precautionary move with protests still ongoing.

6:48 p.m. ET, June 3, 2020

Trump: "I don't think we'll have to" send troops into American cities

From CNN's Jason Hoffman 

From Newsmax TV
From Newsmax TV

Asked if the military has to be sent into American cities to restore law and order, President Trump said “I don’t think we’ll have to."

Trump said he has “very strong powers to do it” and said he might go beyond the National Guard “if it was necessary."

Some context: On Monday, Trump said in a Rose Garden event, “If the city or state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them.” 

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said Wednesday that he does not support using active duty troops to quell the large-scale protests across the United States. 

"The option to use active duty forces in a law enforcement role should only be used as a matter of last resort, and only in the most urgent and dire of situations. We are not in one of those situations now. I do not support invoking the Insurrection Act," he told reporters.

In the interview with Sean Spicer, which aired on his show on conservative outlet Newsmax, Trump went on to slam Antifa and what he called other “radical-left” groups for being violent amid the protests in the wake of the death of George Floyd.

Trump said while the nation needs healing, there also needs to be “safety in our cities.”

 

6:40 p.m. ET, June 3, 2020

Here's a look at the protests around the US

From CNN's Holly Yan and Madeline Holcombe

After nine days of widespread protests, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced new charges against the four fired officers involved in the death of George Floyd.

The 46-year-old father died in Minneapolis last week after then-officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds.

Since May 26, the day after Floyd's death, at least 9,839 people have been arrested nationwide during protests, according to CNN's tally from agencies across the country.

Here's a look at the protests around the country:

Los Angeles

Protesters gather at a peaceful demonstration over George Floyd’s death in Hollywood on June 3 in Los Angeles, California.
Protesters gather at a peaceful demonstration over George Floyd’s death in Hollywood on June 3 in Los Angeles, California. Mario Tama/Getty Images

New York City

Demonstrators denouncing systemic racism in law enforcement and the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis Police officer raise signs and chant during a march through the borough of Brooklyn on June 3 in New York City.
Demonstrators denouncing systemic racism in law enforcement and the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis Police officer raise signs and chant during a march through the borough of Brooklyn on June 3 in New York City. Scott Heins/Getty Images

Philadelphia

Protesters march past City Hall on June 2 in Philadelphia over the death of George Floyd.
Protesters march past City Hall on June 2 in Philadelphia over the death of George Floyd. Matt Slocum/AP

Washington, DC

Police face demonstrators near the White House in Washington, DC, on June 3.
Police face demonstrators near the White House in Washington, DC, on June 3. OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP/Getty Images

6:37 p.m. ET, June 3, 2020

Obama: "We don't have the capacity to eradicate 400 years of racism in one fell swoop"

From CNN's Dan Merica and MJ Lee

Obama Foundation via Getty Images
Obama Foundation via Getty Images

Former President Barack Obama warned that people should not feel that this current unrest and the subsequent changes will address all issues facing black Americans, stating that the country doesn’t “have the capacity to eradicate 400 years of racism in one fell swoop" during his town hall Wednesday.

Obama quoted Dr. Martin Luther King’s famous “arc of the moral universe quote” but added that the arc does not bend without work. 

“We bend it, all of you have bent it over the last four, five, six, 10 years and we are seeing the fruits of those labors in the degree of awareness that is out there,” Obama said. 

To prove this point, he noted the array of people who are speaking out at this time, namechecking Jim Harbaugh, the head football coach at the University of Michigan.

“That is not something that was happening five, six years ago, although Jim I know have been on the right side of this for quite some time,” Obama said. “You have unlikely participants because all of you have worked so hard to raise awareness, that is the progress that has been made, that doesn’t mean everything has been solved.”

Here's Obama's full quote:

“We don’t have the capacity to eradicate 400 years of racism in one fell swoop. So, if we think this is a seismic shift, I hope people don’t feel like nothing is going to happen once we figure this out. I have been known to quote Dr. King, I’ve said, ‘The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.’ We bend it, all of you have bent it over the last four, five, six, 10 years and we are seeing the fruits of those labors in the degree of awareness that is out there. Think about some of the people who have unequivocally spoken out against what happened in Minneapolis, you have, I just saw Jim Harbaugh… the coach of Michigan Football, marching today. That is not something that was happening five, six years ago, although Jim I know have been on the right side of this for quite some time. You have unlikely participants because all of you have worked so hard to raise awareness, that is the progress that has been made, that doesn’t mean everything has been solved.”

6:34 p.m. ET, June 3, 2020

Minnesota governor calls criminal charges a step "the public wants to see"

From CNN’s Andy Rose

Pool
Pool

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz praised the decision by the state’s attorney general to file criminal charges against all four police officers involved in the death of George Floyd.

"This is a step today that the public wants to see,” Walz said in a news conference Wednesday

The announcement comes the day before Floyd’s family is set to participate in a public memorial in Minneapolis.

“I think it’s critically important for them to see… that there’s another side to us and to this state that they did not see last Monday night,” Walz said.

Echoing comments he made to CNN’s Omar Jimenez while visiting the Floyd memorial earlier in the day, Walz said at the briefing, “I think this is probably our last shot, as a state and as a nation, to fix this systemic issue.” 

The state legislature was already scheduled to go into special session next week to deal with coronavirus-related concerns and Walz said he now expects justice reform bills to be introduced as well.