Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey is calling on the Hennepin County Attorneys Office to criminally charge the white police officer who was filmed kneeling on George Floyds neck before he died.

Ive wrestled with one fundamental question: Why is the man who killed George Floyd not in jail? Frey said in a press conference Wednesday. Floyd, who was Black, died following his encounter with Minneapolis police on Monday.

If you had done it, or I had, youd be behind bars right now, Frey added. Im calling on the Hennepin County attorney to charge the arresting officer in this case.

We cannot turn a blind eye, the mayor said. George Floyd deserves justice, his family deserves justice, the Black community deserves justice.

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman has yet to announce charges in the case. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a statement Tuesday, his office said they were shocked and saddened by the now-viral video, noting the FBI and Minnesotas Bureau of Criminal Apprehension are investigating the incident , after which theyll make a decision on prosecution.

On Tuesday evening, hundreds of people took to the streets in Minneapolis, protesting Floyds death and calling on the officers involved to be charged (all four have been fired ).

Asked why the mayor was making the call for the county to arrest and charge the officer, identified as Derek Chauvin , Frey said that based on what he saw in the video, the officer who had his knee on the neck of George Floyd should be charged.

The video showed Floyd, who was unarmed and handcuffed, being held face-down by a Minneapolis police officer, who kept his knee on Floyds neck as he pleaded, I cant breathe. Floyd eventually closed his eyes and stopped speaking. Police called for an ambulance and Floyd died shortly after arriving at a hospital, the Minneapolis Police Department said.

How could I not speak out when an offense took place that you or I or many people in our city would have been behind bars if they did? Yet this particular officer was not, he added. And by the way, Black men have been put in prison before for far, far less.