Former US police officer Derek Chauvin has been arrested and charged with murder following the death of an unarmed black man in custody.

46 year old George Floyd died in Minneapolis on Monday after footage showed Chauvin kneeling on his neck for several minutes during his arrest for allegedly using a fake $20 note in a shop.

Hennepin County Prosecutor Mike Freeman said Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Sky News reports: A statement issued by Mr Floyd’s family said Chauvin’s arrest was a “welcome but overdue step” and called for the other three officers involved in the incident to be detained.

“For four officers to inflict this kind of unnecessary, lethal force – or watch it happen – despite outcry from witnesses who were recording the violence – demonstrates a breakdown in training and policy by the city,” the family said.

“The pain that the black community feels over this murder and what it reflects about the treatment of black people in America is raw and is spilling out onto streets across America.”

In video footage of Mr Floyd’s arrest, the 46-year-old can be heard saying he could not breathe, before paramedics are seen lifting him on to a stretcher and into an ambulance.