US launches federal probe into Minneapolis police

The justice department will look at whether there has been a pattern "of unconstitutional or unlawful policing", Attorney General Merrick Garland said.

It follows national outrage over the killing of Mr Floyd by Derek Chauvin.

The former officer was convicted of all charges on Tuesday.

Chauvin was filmed kneeling on Mr Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes during an arrest in May 2020. Mr Floyd, an unarmed African American, was pronounced dead an hour later.

The footage sparked protests across the country, and calls for police reformation.

Tuesday's verdict has been welcomed in a country where police are rarely been convicted - if they are charged at all - for deaths which occur in custody.

But Mr Garland told reporters Tuesday's he knew the verdict would not "address potentially systemic policing issues in Minneapolis".

What will the investigation look at?

The attorney general said the investigation would "include a comprehensive review of the Minneapolis Police Department's policies, training, supervision and use of force investigations".

It will also examine "whether its treatment of those with behavioural health disabilities is unlawful", while looking at the "effectiveness of current systems of accountability and whether other mechanisms are needed to ensure constitutional and lawful policing".

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Mr Garland said both the community and law enforcement would have to take part if the investigation were to be a success, and he had already started reaching out to both.

If unlawful patterns or practices were found, he promised to issue a public report and bring a civil lawsuit.