Handful of U.S. Senators kneel during moment of silence for George Floyd

BYJUSTINE COLEMAN-06/04/20 12:01 PM EDT108

Five Democratic senators knelt during a moment of silence forGeorge Floyd during their caucus meeting on Thursday.

Those who knelt were Sens.Michael Bennet(Colo.),Sherrod Brown(Ohio),Martin Heinrich(N.M.),Tim Kaine(Va.) and Chris Van Hollen(Md.). They all kneeled as the Senate caucus offered the moment of silence for Floyd.

Observers said the moment lasted for eight minutes and 46 seconds, the amount of time the bystander video footage showed former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck as Floyd said he couldn’t breathe and then became unresponsive. Chauvin now faces second-degree murder charges.