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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Supreme Court has ruled that the mayor of Minneapolis hasn't met a legal duty to hire more police officers or demonstrate why he hasn't done so.

In a Monday ruling, Chief Justice Lorie Gildea said Mayor Jacob Frey has a “clear legal duty” under the city’s charter to staff the department with at least 731 sworn officers, a number based on the population of Minneapolis.

Interim City Attorney Peter Ginder said the city has about 300 fewer officers than it did before George Floyd was killed by police in May 2020. The city's former police chief had attributed the departures to retirements and officers who filed disability claims, some citing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder linked to the protests over Floyd’s killing.

Ginder calls it “an unprecedented loss of personnel that is not easily corrected,” but noted that the city has provided funding for additional recruit classes and hiring bonuses.

“Mayor Jacob Frey, the Minneapolis Police Department and city are working in good faith to recruit and hire more community-oriented peace officers as quickly as reasonably possible,” Ginder said.

The ruling sends the case back to district court in Hennepin County.

Eight residents concerned about crime sought the court order to force the city to hire more police as required by the charter. The state Supreme Court heard arguments earlier this month from them that the current staffing is about 120 officers less than they believed was required.

Minneapolis attorneys argued that the charter requirement relates only to funding, but the mayor still may determine how the money may be used within the department.

Timeline: George Floyd's Death, Protests, Riots, Arrests, and Chauvin Trial

It was late afternoon on Memorial Day, 2020 and many Minnesotans had observed the normally active weekend hunkered down because of the growing pandemic.

George Floyd drove to a grocery store in Minneapolis and bought some cigarettes. He was accused by employees of making the purchase with a counterfeit $20 bill and police were called. Floyd was still there in his vehicle when two officers arrived. About 10 minutes later, Chauvin and another officer showed up and the situation began to escalate. Chauvin began kneeling on Floyd's neck as he was facedown on the street. Despite repeated pleas from Floyd and a growing crowd of bystanders to remove his knee, Chauvin continued as if frozen in position with no facial expression. 

After more than 8 minutes, Chauvin finally stood up and Floyd had become unresponsive. An ambulance was called and a short while later, it was reported Floyd was dead.

A video of the incident slowly spread on social media around the state, the country and the world. Viewers literally watched a man slowly die, repeating "I can't breathe." 

The now historic response began the following day.

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