By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has taken over the prosecution of ex-police officer Derek Chauvin in the murder of George Floyd, an unarmed and handcuffed African American who died because of the actions of Chauvin and other officers.

“It is with a large degree of humility and great seriousness, I accept for my office, the responsibility for leadership in this critical case involving the killing of George Floyd,” Ellison said during a news conference in Minneapolis.

Ellison’s appointment came following a telephone meeting between hip-hop icon Jay-Z and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

“Earlier today, Governor Walz mentioned having a human conversation with me – a dad and a black man in pain,” Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, wrote in a statement.

Ellison, a former congressman from Minnesota who ran for chair of the Democratic National Committee in 2017, noted that he was accepting the lead on the case with “a large degree of humility and great seriousness.”