Minnesota, (Samajweekly) The man accused of murdering African American George Floyd, whose death sparked global protests, is to appear in court for the first time.
Derek Chauvin, a white policeman, knelt on Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes while he was being arrested in Minneapolis on 25 May.
Chauvin, who has since been sacked, will face a judge in Minnesota remotely on murder and manslaughter charges, the BBC reported.
Three other officers were also fired and charged with aiding and abetting.
New charges brought over George Floyd’s death
Mourners in Houston, Texas, where Floyd lived before moving to Minneapolis, have been viewing his body, publicly on display for six hours at The Fountain of Praise church.
On Tuesday, a private funeral service will be held in Houston. Memorial services have already been held in Minneapolis and North Carolina, where Floyd was born.
It is believed a family member escorted Mr Floyd’s body on a flight to Texas late on Saturday.
Democratic US presidential candidate Joe Biden is expected to visit Floyd’s relatives in Houston to offer his sympathies. Aides to the former vice-president said he would also record a video message for Tuesday’s service.
He faces three separate charges: unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, for which the maximum penalties are prison terms of 40, 25 and 10 years respectively.
Further charges could be brought but it appears unlikely he will be accused of first-degree murder as prosecutors would have to prove premeditation, intent and motive, the Associated Press reports.
By bringing multiple charges, prosecutors give jurors a choice and increase the chances of a conviction.
Minneapolis city council has voted to ban chokeholds and neck restraints by police officers, and Democrats in Congress are expected to present sweeping legislation on police reform.
In France, which saw Black Lives Matter protests over the weekend, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner announced that police would no longer be allowed to use chokeholds to arrest people.
It is part of a policy of zero tolerance of racism within the French police. France’s police watchdog has revealed that there were 1,500 complaints against officers last year, half of them for alleged assaults.
