Derek Michael Chauvin (born 1976) is an American former police officer charged with the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 25, 2020. During an arrest made by Chauvin and three other officers, he knelt on George Floyd's neck for seven minutes and 46 seconds while Floyd was handcuffed and lying face down on a street.^[1] The death set off a series of protests around the world.

Chauvin was fired by the Minneapolis Police Department the day after the incident. He was initially charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter;^[2] a charge of second-degree murder was later added.^[3]

Background

Derek Chauvin was born in 1976 and attended Park High School in Cottage Grove, Minnesota. He did not graduate from high school, but obtained a High School Equivalency Certificate. He took food preparation courses at a technical college and worked as a cook at McDonald's and at a local restaurant,^[4] worked as a security guard, and served two separate enlistments as a military policeman with the United States Army.^[5][6][7]

He graduated from the Metropolitan State University in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in law enforcement.^[6]

He had been an officer in the Minneapolis Police Department since 2001.^[8] 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 who reached for his pistol.^[9][10] 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.^[7]

Chauvin had 18 complaints on his official record, two of which ended in discipline from the department, including official letters of reprimand.^[11] He had been involved in three police shootings, one of which was fatal.^{[8][12][13][14]} 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 she did not believe so.^[15][16] 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.^[17]

Killing of George Floyd

On May 25, 2020, Chauvin was one of four officers involved in arresting George Floyd on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill at a market. Chauvin was the field training officer for two of the other involved officers, who were in their first week of active duty.^[18] Security camera footage from a nearby business did not show Floyd resisting the arrest.^[19][20] 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 fell down;^[21] he went to the ground face down. Chauvin then knelt on Floyd's neck for seven minutes and 46 seconds while Floyd was handcuffed and lying face down on the street.^[1] After Chauvin placed his knee on Floyd's neck, Floyd repeatedly said "I can't breathe", "Mama", and "please".^[22] For part of the time, two other officers knelt on Floyd's back.^[23] During the final three minutes Floyd was motionless and had no pulse.^[24] Several bystanders took videos which were widely circulated and broadcast.^[22] Chauvin and the other three officers were fired the following day.^[25] While knee-to-neck restraints are allowed in Minnesota under certain circumstances, Chauvin's use of the technique has been widely criticized by law enforcement experts as excessive.^[26][27][28] On June 23, Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo said that Chauvin had been trained in the dangers of positional asphyxiation, and characterized Floyd's death as murder.^[29]

Legal proceedings

Chauvin was arrested on May 29.^[30] Hennepin County attorney Mike Freeman charged him with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter,^[31][32] making him the first white officer in Minnesota to be charged in the death of a black civilian.^[33][34] Under Minnesota law, third-degree murder is defined as causing another's death without intent to kill, but "evincing a depraved mind, without regard for human life". Second-degree manslaughter also does not imply lethal intent, but that the perpetrator created "an unreasonable risk" of serious harm or death.^[35]

On May 31, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison took over the case at the request of Governor Tim Walz. On June 3, Ellison amended the charges against Chauvin to include unintentional second-degree murder under the felony murder doctrine, alleging that Chauvin killed Floyd in the course of committing assault in the third degree;^[36][37] Minnesota sentencing guidelines recommend 12.5 years imprisonment on conviction of that charge.^[38] Ellison also charged the three other officers with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.^[3][39][38] Bail for Chauvin (who did not enter a plea) was set at $1.25 million,^[40] and for the three other officers $1 million.^[41]

Prior to Chauvin's arrest, his attorney and prosecutors had made unsuccessful attempts to negotiate a plea bargain to cover both state and federal charges.^[42] The day before his arrest, Chauvin's wife of almost 10 years filed for divorce.^[43][44][45]

During his incarceration, eight correctional officers of color working at the Minnesota County Jail claimed that before Chauvin was transferred to a state prison, they were not allowed to work in the unit where Chauvin is incarcerated, and that white correctional officers were reassigned to work in that unit. They also accused the jail of giving Chauvin special treatment, mentioning an incident where a white lieutenant was granted special access to his cell to sit on his bed and allow him to use her cell phone. Responding to these claims, the Minnesota Department of Human Rights have claimed that they will open an investigation on these allegations.^[46]

References