Sen. Coons on George Floyd’s death: This has reawakened, torn open wounds of similar incidents
Delaware Senator Chris Coons discusses the protests nationwide over George Floyd’s death on ‘America’s Newsroom.’
In the wake of the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., said on Friday that there needs to be swift action taken against the police officer involved in the incident.
“There needs to be a prompt and thorough investigation and by all accounts, the U.S. attorney and the county attorney are conducting that investigation. My hope is that that will reach a conclusion promptly so that the community has some confidence that this won’t be an endless investigation without conclusion,” Coons told "America's Newsroom."
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Derek Chauvin, the officer who pressed his knee against Floyd's neck as he begged for air, and three other Minneapolis officers involved were fired. The incident sparked nationwide condemnation from people of all political stripes, violent protests and looting in Minneapolis, led the University of Minnesota to sever its relationship with the Minneapolis Police Department and induced Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., the area's local congresswoman, to call for murder charges for Chauvin.
Meanwhile, former Vice President Joe Biden urged the demonstrators behind the violent protests in Minnesota “to exercise their rights peacefully and safely.”
But the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee also called Floyd's passing a “brutal, brutal death” that exposes “this ugly underbelly of our society.”
Biden, speaking at a virtual fundraiser Thursday night, urged that the “officers in the Floyd case must be held accountable, including with the FBI investigation and independent Department of Justice civil rights investigation.”
He acknowledged that “people all across this country are enraged and rightly so. Everyday African-Americans go about their lives with constant anxiety and trauma of wondering, ‘Will I be next?’ Sounds like an exaggeration but it’s not.”
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Coons highlighted on Friday that the Senate Judiciary Committee needs to convene an oversight hearing to review the "whole string" of incidents of police violence that have divided the country. He also said that the killing of Floyd “reawakened and tore open the wounds of dozens of similar incidents in recent years.”
“I think this needs to be done forcefully and swiftly,” Coons said, noting that Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has called for Chauvin's arrest and investigators have had ample time to review the facts and conduct interviews.
“It is a real question -- why is this taking so long?” Coons said.
Hours after the interview aired, Chauvin was arrested.
Fox News' Paul Steinhauser and Allie Raffa contributed to this report.
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