Derek Chauvin
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| “ | When we start our career, we take an oath to serve and protect. Derek Chauvin failed on both aspects. | „ |
| ~ Dmaine Freeland, one of Chauvin's former co-workers, describes Chauvin. |
Derek Michael Chauvin (born on March 19th, 1976 ) is an ex-police officer of the Minneapolis Police Department. He, along with his three colleagues at the scene, were fired in 2020 after a police brutality incident in which Chauvin killed George Floyd, an African-American man who was mistakenly accused of using counterfeit currency and had a criminal past, by kneeling on his neck for several minutes.[1] Chauvin was convicted of Floyd's murder in April 2021.[2] He later pleaded guilty to violating Floyd's civil rights and those of an African-American teenager who he had knelt on and beaten.[3]
Early life edit
Derek Chauvin was born in 1976 and attended Park High School in Cottage Grove, Minnesota. Between his high school graduation, and joining the Minneapolis Police Department, in 2001, aged 25, he worked at McDonalds, worked as a security guard, and served two separate enlistments with the United States Army, where he was a military policeman.
He graduated from Metropolitan State University in 2006 with a degree in law enforcement.
He had been an officer in the Minneapolis Police Department since 2001. He won two medals of valor, one in 2006 for being part of a group of officers who opened fire on a stabbing suspect who pointed a shotgun at them, and another in 2008 for a domestic violence incident in which Chauvin broke down a bathroom door and shot a suspect in the stomach. He also won medals of commendation in 2008 after he and his partner tackled a fleeing suspect who had a pistol in his hand, and in 2009 for single-handedly apprehending a group of gang members.
Chauvin had 18 complaints on his official record, two of which ended in discipline from the department, including official letters of reprimand.[4] He had been involved in three police shootings, one of which was fatal. In one of these non-fatal shootings, that of Leroy Martinez in 2011, witnesses claimed that Martinez had his hands in the air when he was shot, but an investigation found that Chauvin and his fellow officers had acted appropriately.[5] According to the former owner of El Nuevo Rodeo, a Latin nightclub, Floyd and Chauvin had worked overlapping shifts as security guards at the club; Chauvin for 17 years and Floyd at about a dozen events. The former owner said it was not clear whether they knew each other but that she did not believe so. She also said Chauvin had sometimes used overaggressive tactics when dealing with black clientele, responding to fights by spraying the crowd with mace instead of dealing with those who were fighting.[6]
George Floyd murder edit
On May 25, 2020, Chauvin and fellow officers Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng were called to arrest 46-year-old African-American George Floyd for allegedly using counterfeit money. Upon the police's arrival at the scene, Floyd was said to have resisted arrest, but this was not shown by CCTV.[7] By the time Chauvin and Thao arrived on the scene, they found that Floyd had already been handcuffed and restrained by Lane and Kueng, who were attempting to force him into the police car. Chauvin grabbed hold of Floyd, pulled him back, shoved him to the ground and began kneeling on his neck.[8]
A Facebook livestream taken by bystander Darnella Frazier shows Floyd being compressed under Chauvin's knee for around 8 minutes, where Floyd pleads for his safety, later his life, after he was stating he was losing breath and becoming dehydrated. Chauvin taunted Floyd and ordered him to obey his taunting commands, despite being physically unable to. Bystanders were pleading for Floyd to be released and arrested without incident rather than being held in a strangulation position. They mentioned him bleeding, and him slowly becoming unresponsive.[9] None of the three other officers present made any physical attempt to stop Chauvin from suffocating Floyd, with Thao preventing bystanders from intervening while joking about Floyd being on drugs.[10] However, Thomas Lane was heard twice asking "Shall we turn him over?", referring to the fact that Floyd may have been able to breath had they rolled him over. Chauvin refused both times.[11]
After several minutes an ambulance was called on a non-emergency basis. Two minutes before the ambulance arrived Floyd appeared unconscious and bystanders began yelling at Chauvin to release him and check his pulse, prompting Chauvin to threaten them with mace.[12] Eventually Kueng checked Floyd's pulse and found that he did not have one.[13] Despite this, none of the officers attempted to perform CPR and Chauvin remained kneeling on Floyd's neck.[14] Paramedics arrived around two minutes later but found Floyd unresponsive and he was soon pronounced dead at the Hennepin County Medical Emergency Center.[15]
Aftermath edit
The video taken by Darnella Frazier went viral. All four officers were fired the day after the incident, including Chauvin, and many people called for the officers to be charged with criminal homicide.[16] His home was met with many protests, and had graffiti scrawled on his driveway calling him out. He was also doxxed. The case drew international media attention, and many protests and riots occurred worldwide.
On May 29th, 2020, Chauvin was arrested and charged with third degree murder and manslaughter. His wife later announced that she was seeking a divorce.
On June 3, 2020, the other three officers were arrested and charged with assisting second degree murder and assisting second degree manslaughter. Chauvin's charge was changed to second degree murder and manslaughter.
Chauvin did not enter a plea and was held at 1.25 million dollar bail.
Eight correctional officers at the Ramsey County Jail filed a discrimination complaint against supervisors at the jail with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, alleging that during Chauvin's brief stay before his transfer to a state prison, non-white guards were not allowed to work on the fifth floor where Chauvin was being held. Their complaint also alleged that a guard saw a white lieutenant sit on Chauvin's bed and that she permitted Chauvin to use her cellphone. Responding to the complaint, the Minnesota Department of Human Rights said it was opening an investigation to determine whether discrimination took place.
Trial edit
Chauvin was released on conditional bail on October 7, 2020 after posting a bond of $1 million. Court documentation provided that, as conditions for his bail, Chauvin's supervised release from prison will be forfeited if he declines to appear before a magistrate, refuses to appear in court on scheduled dates, leaves the state of Minnesota without court approval, or has contact with Floyd's family. On October 22, 2020, Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill dismissed the third-degree murder charge, but also denied Chauvin's motion to dismiss the other, more serious murder charges. He later reinstated the third-degree murder charge.
Chauvin's trial began on March 29, 2021. 38 prosecution witnesses testified over a period of 11 days, most of them either witnesses to Floyd's killing, police trainers or use-of-force experts who testified that Chauvin was not justified in his continued restraint of Floyd or medical experts who testified that Chauvin's restraint caused or contributed to Floyd's death. 7 defence witnesses were called, many of them testifying about Floyd's behaviour during his previous arrest.[17] Chauvin himself invoked his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent when asked if he wanted to testify.
The defence rested its case on 15 April. Closing arguments were made on 19 April, at which point jury deliberation began. On 21 April Chauvin was convicted on all charges.[18]
Civil rights investigation edit
The U.S. Department of Justice convened a grand jury in February 2021 to investigate Chauvin for several civil rights charges. The investigation included the killing of Floyd on May 25, 2020, and other incidents involving Chauvin, such as a September 2017 case where Chauvin pinned a 14-year old boy for several minutes with his knee while ignoring the boy's pleas that he couldn't breathe; the boy briefly lost consciousness. He also beat the boy with a flashlight.[19] Though the 2017 case was similar to the 2020 killing of Floyd, it was deemed as inadmissible by the judge overseeing the trial of Chauvin for Floyd's murder.
On 7 May 2021, Chauvin was indicted for violating the civil rights of Floyd and the unnamed 14-year-old. His trial began on September 16. On December 15 Chauvin pleaded guilty to three counts of civil rights violations.[20] According to a plea deal, prosecutors have agreed to seek a 300-month prison sentence, to be served concurrently with his 22-year sentence for George Floyd's murder.
Sentencing edit
On June 25, 2021, Chauvin was sentenced to 270 months, or 22.5 years, in prison for murder. Additionally, Chauvin is permanently prohibited from owning any firearms and/or explosives. Provided that he doesn’t incur any additional convictions at all, his earliest possible release date will be Friday, June 9, 2028 (applying both the 199 days credit & the additional 180 months aka 15 years he must serve before being parole eligible), and his latest possible release date will be Christmas 2043.[21]
On July 7, 2022, Chauvin was sentenced to an additional 21 years for violating Floyd's civil rights, to be served concurrently with his 22-year murder sentence.[22]
Gallery edit
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The criminal mugshots of the four former officers. Clockwise from top left: Chauvin, Thao, Lane and Kueng.
Trivia edit
- Some suspect Chauvin was abusive towards his wife.
- A conspiracy theory suggesting police forces are responsible for the violent aspects of the protests has become popular.
- Anonymous hacked into the Minneapolis Police Department's website and scanners on May 31, 2020. However, according to Troy Hunt (an Australian web security expert), it is mostly likely a hoax.
- Before the killing, there were people said that Chauvin had met Floyd in a nightclub where the two "bumped heads"
References edit
- ↑ Four Minneapolis officers are fired after video shows one kneeling on neck of black man who later died, The Washington Post
- ↑ Ex-police officer Derek Chauvin sentenced to over 22 years in jail for George Floyd murder, The Straits Times
- ↑ Chauvin pleads guilty to federal charges in Floyd's death, Associated Press
- ↑ Justice Department Says George Floyd's Death a Priority, The Wall Street Journal
- ↑ Here's Another Story of Police Brutality in Minneapolis Long Before George Floyd, Vice
- ↑ Charged Minn. cop used 'overkill' tactics as nightclub guard, Associated Press
- ↑ Surveillance video does not support police claims that George Floyd resisted arrest, CNN
- ↑ Police Bodycam Video Shows George Floyd's Distress During Fatal Arrest, NPR
- ↑ Video shows Minneapolis cop with knee on neck of motionless, moaning man who later died, CBS News
- ↑ Body Camera Video Of George Floyd And Police Offers New Details Of Deadly Encounter, NPR
- ↑ Complaint – State of Minnesota v. Derek Michael Chauvin, Hennepin County Attorney's Office
- ↑ Minnesota Man Dies After Video Shows Cop Pressing Knee to His Neck for Nearly 8 Minutes, Reason Magazine
- ↑ George Floyd: What happened in the final moments of his life, BBC News
- ↑ 8 Minutes and 46 Seconds: How George Floyd Was Killed in Police Custody, The New York Times
- ↑ The death of George Floyd: What video and other records show about his final minutes, The Washington Post
- ↑ Four Minneapolis officers are fired after video shows one kneeling on neck of black man who later died, The Washington Post
- ↑ Who are the witnesses in the Derek Chauvin trial?, Star Tribune
- ↑ Minneapolis jury convicts ex-policeman Derek Chauvin of murdering George Floyd, Reuters
- ↑ Federal prosecutors convene a grand jury for civil rights investigation into ex-Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin, Star Tribune
- ↑ Chauvin pleads guilty to federal charges in Floyd's death, Associated Press
- ↑ Derek Chauvin receives 22 and a half years for murder of George Floyd, The New York Times
- ↑ Killer of George Floyd Sentenced to 21 Years for Violating Civil Rights, The New York Times