Minneapolis, June 3 (RHC)-- Three former Minneapolis police officers were criminally charged Wednesday in connection with the death of George Floyd in their custody, according to court records. 

In addition, Derek Chauvin, a fourth former officer who had already been charged with third-degree murder in the case, will now be charged with second-degree murder, the records show. 

The ex-police officers, Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane, had assisted Chauvin in arresting Floyd on Memorial Day on the suspicion that Floyd passed a counterfeit bill.  They were charged with aiding and abetting murder. 

Floyd’s death has sparked widespread protests against police violence in dozens of cities across the country.
Additional screen grab of user video obtained by NBC News circulating online appears to show three officers kneeling on the ground near Floyd, while another stands nearby.

Chauvin, who is white, was charged on Friday with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter after video footage emerged showing him kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes as Floyd, a Black man, lay handcuffed, crying out that he could not breathe.  The video shows that Chauvin continued to keep his knee of Floyd’s neck even after Floyd became nonresponsive.