⁍ Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said he has activated the Minnesota National Guard as a ‘precautionary step’
A judge on Thursday dismissed a lesser murder charge against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.

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⁍ He still had to face the most serious murder charge in George Floyd’s death in May.

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– Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has activated the state’s National Guard in the wake of a judge’s decision to throw out a murder charge against a former Minneapolis police officer, Reuters reports. Derek Chauvin had been charged with second-degree murder in the death of 28-year-old George Floyd, who was found shot to death in his apartment in May. A judge on Thursday dismissed a lesser murder charge against Chauvin but said he still had to face the most serious murder charge in Floyd’s death. “In light of developments in the George Floyd case, we’ve taken the precautionary step of asking the Minnesota National Guard to prepare to help ensure safety for Minnesotans,” Walz said in a statement. “I want to remind Minnesotans that today’s ruling marks a positive step in the path toward justice for George Floyd.”