What does the charge of "second-degree murder" mean in the George Floyd case?

New criminal charges have been filed in the death of George Floyd, a black man who died last week in Minneapolis police custody in the state of Minnesota.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison on Wednesday charged Derek Chauvin, the white police officer who knelt on George Floyd's neck while Floyd said he couldn't breathe, with second-degree murder, a more serious charge than the third-degree murder he previously faced.

Keith Ellison also charged Tu Tao, Alexander King and Thomas Lane, three other officers who were present at the scene of the incident on May 25 and did not intervene, with aiding and abetting second-degree murder. All four officers were fired immediately after Floyd's death, but only Chauvin was charged with a crime.

Floyd's death has sparked a wave of protests across the United States and other cities around the world.

"We want justice. We expect all four officers to be arrested before the memorial service in Minneapolis," said Ben Crump, a lawyer for Floyd's family, before the new charges were filed on Wednesday.

Third-degree murder means the unintentional killing of a person and is an act that is not part of the commission of another crime.

Second-degree murder is generally defined as intentional killing that lacks premeditation. A person convicted of second-degree murder has shown gross disregard for human life. All murder convictions in the United States can result in sentences of decades in prison, but this is not necessarily the case.

Source: Voice of America