Minnesota county attorneys: Attorney general should handle every officer-involved death investigation

(FOX 9) - The association that represents county attorneys across Minnesota voted Thursday to support allowing the Minnesota Attorney General's office to handle all officer-involved death cases moving forward.

The vote comes in the aftermath of George Floyd's death while being taken into custody by the Minneapolis Police Department and on the same day as Floyd was memorialized in Minneapolis.

Floyd's death investigation was initially being handled by the Hennepin Couty Attorney's Office until last weekend when Governor Walz tapped Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison to take over the case.

In a statement Thursday evening, the Minnesota County Attorneys Association said the group feels that should be the standard for every case where someone dies at the hand of police.

"Our entire association extends our heartfelt sympathy to George Floyd’s family and to the collective community that mourns his loss and advocates for honest dialog and real and immediate change in his name," said MCAA President and Stevens County Attorney Aaron Jordan.

At the same time, the organization is calling on the legislature to provide funding to the attorney general's office to support the endeavor and bring in the "best and brightest trial lawyers to handle these critical cases." The attorneys are also asking the legislature to allow the attorney general to request assistance from local attorneys as needed and send funds to the BCA to help independently investigate the cases -- except in incidents where the BCA is involved.

You can read the full statement below or by clicking here: