Los Angeles has been a hotbed of activity lately. In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and the ongoing protests concerning George Floyd‘s murder, the city also dealt with an earthquake on Wednesday. CBS Los Angeles reported that an earthquake struck San Bernadino County on Wednesday evening, with the natural event being felt throughout Riverside and Los Angeles counties.
CBS Los Angeles reported that the earthquake struck at around 6:30 p.m. around 10 miles south of Searles Valley near Ridgecrest. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, it struck at a depth of 4.3 miles. Shortly after the event occurred, seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones took to Twitter to confirm that an earthquake had indeed taken place. In her tweet, she wrote that the tremor was at the southern end of the aftershock zone and that it was a “large late aftershock.” At the end of her message, she noted that these kinds of occurrences are actually “common.” CBS Los Angeles indicated that there were no immediate reports of injuries or damages following the earthquake.
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Yes, an earthquake. A M5.5 at the very southern end of the 2019 Ridgecrest aftershock zone. This is a large late aftershock – do you remember that I said these are common?
— Dr. Lucy Jones (@DrLucyJones) June 4, 2020
Not only does this earthquake come amidst the coronavirus pandemic, but it also comes as many individuals in Los Angeles (and around the world) are protesting Floyd’s death. On May 25, during an arrest for an alleged forgery, Floyd, an African American man, was killed after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes. On Friday, Chauvin was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison later announced on Wednesday that those charges would be elevated to second-degree murder and manslaughter. Additionally, the three other officers involved in this incident — Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng, and Thomas Lane — have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter. Benjamin Crump, an attorney for Floyd’s family, subsequently released a statement about these developments in the case.
“This is a bittersweet moment for the family of George Floyd,” the statement read. “We are deeply gratified that Attorney General Keith Ellison took decisive action in this case, arresting and charging all the officers involved in George Floyd’s death and upgrading the charge against Derek Chauvin to felony second-degree murder.” The message continued, “This is a significant step forward on the road to justice, and we are gratified that this important action was brought before George Floyd’s body was laid to rest. That is a source of peace for George’s family in this painful time.”
