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Derek Michael Chauvin (born March 19, 1976) is a former Minneapolis Police Department officer charged with second-degree murder for his involvement in the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 25, 2020, where he knelt on Floyd's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, thereby causing his death by asphyxiation.

Background

Chauvin had been an officer in the Minneapolis Police Department since around 2001. Chauvin had 18 complaints on his official record, two of which ended in discipline from the department, including official letters of reprimand. He had been involved in three police shootings, one of which was fatal. According to former club owner Maya Santamaria, Floyd and Chauvin both worked as security guards and had overlapping shifts at the Latin nightclub, El Nuevo Rodeo. She said Chauvin had worked there for 17 years, while Floyd had worked at about a dozen events. She said it was not clear if they knew each other but that she did not believe so. Santamaria said Chauvin had sometimes used overaggressive tactics when dealing with black clientele, responding to fights by spraying the crowd with mace, a tactic she told him was "overkill".

Involvement in the killing of George Floyd

Chauvin was one of four officers involved in arresting Floyd on suspicion of cash forgery at a local market, along with officers Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng. According to police reports, Floyd physically resisted arrest. Security camera footage from a nearby business did not show Floyd resisting. The criminal complaint stated that, based on body camera footage, Floyd repeatedly said he could not breathe while standing outside the police car, resisted getting in the car and intentionally fell down; he went to the ground face down and, after Chauvin placed his knee, Floyd repeatedly said "I can't breathe", "Mama", and "please". Several bystanders took videos, all of which were widely circulated and broadcast. While knee-to-neck restraints are allowed in Minnesota under certain circumstances, Chauvin's usage of the technique has been widely criticized by law enforcement experts as excessive. At two points, the police officer that was holding Floyd's legs asked to roll Floyd on his side. Chauvin was fired the day following the incident, along with the other three involved officers.

Prosecution

On May 29, 2020, Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, and placed in custody at Oak Park Heights state prison.. The day following his arrest, Chauvin's wife of nearly 10 years filed for the dissolution of their marriage, and requested her last name changed from Chauvin to her birth name.

On June 3, 2020, the charge against Chauvin was upgraded to second-degree murder. The other three officers were the same day charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.

References

1. ^ Michelle M Frascone; Amy Sweasy (2020-05-29). "State of Minnesota v. Derek Michael Chauvin" (PDF).
2. Amir Vera (2020-06-02). "Independent autopsy and Minnesota officials say George Floyd's death was homicide". CNN.
3. ^ Mannix, Andy (May 26, 2020). "What we know about Derek Chauvin and Tou Thao, two of the officers caught on tape in the death of George Floyd". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on May 27, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
4. Barrett, Erin Ailworth, Ben Kesling, Sadie Gurman and Joe (May 28, 2020). "Justice Department Says George Floyd's Death a Priority". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on May 28, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
5. Scher, Isaac (May 27, 2020). "The police officer who knelt on George Floyd's neck has been involved in shootings and was the subject of 10 different complaints". Insider. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
6. Melendez, Pilar (May 28, 2020). "Minneapolis Man: Cop Who Kneeled on George Floyd 'Tried to Kill Me' in 2008". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on May 28, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
7. Lastra, Ana; Rasmussen, Eric (May 28, 2020). "George Floyd, fired officer overlapped security shifts at south Minneapolis club". KSTP.com/ABC 5 Eyewitness News. Minneapolis, MN. Archived from the original on May 29, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
8. "The Latest: Attorneys seek outside probe of Floyd's death". AP NEWS. May 29, 2020. Archived from the original on May 29, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
9. Condon, Bernard (May 29, 2020). "Charged Minn. cop used 'overkill' tactics as nightclub guard". Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 30, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
10. Dakss, Brian (May 26, 2020). "Video shows Minneapolis cop with knee on neck of motionless, moaning man who later died". CBS News. Archived from the original on May 26, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
11. Quinlivan, Mark (May 29, 2020). "George Floyd death: Newly emerged surveillance footage shows no evidence of resistance". Newshub. Archived from the original on May 30, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
12. Andone, Dakin (May 28, 2020). "Surveillance video does not support police claims that George Floyd resisted arrest". CNN. Archived from the original on May 28, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
13. ^ Scottie Andrew (2020-06-02). "Derek Chauvin's wife requests to change her last name in divorce filing". CNN.
14. Hauser, Christine (May 26, 2020). "F.B.I. to Investigate Arrest of Black Man Who Died After Being Pinned by Officer". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 26, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
15. Wagner, Grace Hauck and Dennis. "George Floyd death: Experts say knee-to-neck restraint is dangerous, but Minneapolis allows it". USA TODAY.
16. Andrew, Scottie. "The move used to restrain George Floyd is discouraged by most police. Here's why". CNN.
17. McCarthy, Bill (May 29, 2020). "The death of George Floyd: What you need to know". PolitiFact.
18. https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/01/us/derek-chauvin-what-we-know-trnd/index.html. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
19. https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2020/05/29/derek-chauvin-arrested-george-floyd-death-minneapolis-police-officer/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
20. https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2020/06/03/george-floyd-death-derek-chauvins-murder-charge-upgraded-to-2nd-degree-unintentional-murder-3-other-officers-charged/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

• Living people
• 1976 births
• Minneapolis Police Department officers
• Death of George Floyd
• People charged with murder