Derek Chauvin is an ex-Minneapolis cop who is charged with second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd, an African-American man who died in police custody in the south Minneapolis during an encounter on May 25, 2020. The video of Floyd’s encounter went viral on social media in which Floyd was seen suffocating under the knee of Derek Chauvin who reportedly pinned down George Floyd’s neck with his knee for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. Following George Floyd’s death, several demonstrations and protests developed in over 100 cities throughout the United States and worldwide.
Wiki/Biography
Derek Michael Chauvin was born On Friday, March 19, 1976 (age 45 years; as of 2021) in Oakdale, Minnesota, United States. He grew up in the St. Paul area and attended Park High School in Cottage Grove, Minnesota. Although Chauvin didn’t graduate, he obtained a High School Equivalency Certificate. Thereafter, Chauvin attended several community colleges and Metropolitan State University in Minnesota. In 2006, Chauvin graduated from Minnesota’s Metropolitan State University with a bachelor’s degree in law enforcement. He also attended a technical college where he studied food preparation and took classes like ‘pantry food preparation’, ‘job-seeking skills’, and ‘stocks, sauces and soups’. Later, he took the job of a cook at McDonald’s. He also worked at Tinucci’s Restaurant where he made ribs and chicken. Besides doing the job of a cook, chauvin also worked as a security guard at EI Nuevo Rodeo, the Latin nightclub where George Floyd was also employed as a security guard.
Family & Ethnicity
Derek Chauvin belongs to a white American family. His wife, Kellie, is a Laotin immigrant who has two children from a previous marriage. They got married on June 12, 2010, in Washington County. She is also the first Hmong winner of the Mrs. Minnesota pageant.
Career
At the age of 25, Derek Chauvin joined the Minneapolis Police Department in 2001. Earlier, he served the US Army as a military police officer from 1996 to 2000 and was stationed in Rochester, Minnesota, and Hohenfels in Germany. Chauvin served the Minneapolis Police Department for 19 years until he was fired after George Floys’s death.
George Floyd’s Killing
On the evening of May 25, 2020, at around 8:08-8:28 pm, Minneapolis police arrested George Floyd because they had mistaken him as someone who attempted to pass off a counterfeit $20 bill at a store in Minneapolis to buy cigarettes. A video of his arrest shows Floyd on the ground with his hands cuffed behind his back. Officer Derek Chauvin is seen with his knee on Floyd’s neck while Floyd complaining he cannot breathe. Reportedly, Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds.
Reportedly, on the evening of May 25, after responding to a call from a grocery store that claimed Floyd had used a forged check, officers Chauvin and Thao approached George Floyd and handcuffed him, and when Floyd resisted arrest, they dragged him from his car and pinned him to the ground.
Arrest & Trial
On May 26, 2020, the officers involved in George Floyd’s alleged arrest and encounter were placed on leave. Later in the day, all the four officers (Derek Chauvin, Tou Thao, Thomas K. Lane, and J. Alexander Kueng) were fired. On the same day, the FBI announced to review the incident.
On May 29, 2020, Derek Chauvin became the first white officer in Minnesota to get arrested on charges of a black civilian’s death. Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Later, the charge against Chauvin was elevated to second-degree from third-degree. On June 29, all four men appeared in court.
Judge Peter A. Cahill of Hennepin County district court set the next hearing on September 11, 2020, and a trial date of March 8, 2021. Reportedly, three of the four ex-Minneapolis police officers facing charges in George Floyd’s fatal encounter were later released from jail. Only Derek Chauvin remains in custody at the jail, with his bail set at $1.25 million. Later, Chauvin was also released on bail. On April 20, 2021, Chauvin was found guilty of all three charges of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter by a 12-member jury, after considering three weeks of testimony from 45 witnesses, including bystanders, police officials, and medical experts; Chauvin was handcuffed immediately after the verdicts were read, and he was taken into custody.
On June 25, 2021, Chauvin was sentenced to 22 and half years in prison.
Divorce Petition by his wife kellie
Shortly, after Derek’s arrest, Kellie intended to divorce him, and they separated three days after Mr. Floyd’s killing.
On May 31, 2020, the 45-year old Kellie Chauvin filed a divorce petition in Washington County District Court.
FAQ :
What are the differences between the three charges Chauvin faces?
BBC correspondent Tara McKelvey explains the three charges of manslaughter, second-degree murder and third-degree murder.
Manslaughter is when someone unintentionally causes another person’s death.
In second-degree murder, the act that led to someone’s death could have been intentional or unintentional. The maximum sentence is 40 years in prison.
Third-degree murder means an individual has acted in a way that endangered one or more people, ending in death. This charge was added later and experts say it is easier to prove in court, but the jail sentence would be lower.
Police officers have rarely been convicted – if they are charged at all – for deaths that occur in custody, and the verdict in this trial is being widely seen as an indication of how the US legal system will treat such cases in future.
Are the jurors sequestered?
Being sequestered means they will be isolated from contact with the outside world, including TV and other media.
The jurors will arrive at the courthouse on Monday morning, with suitcases packed.
The lawyers from the defence team and the prosecution will make their closing arguments, summarising key points of their case, and then the judge will explain to the jury important legal aspects they should consider.
What happens if the jury don’t return a unanimous decision?
All the jurors have to agree in order to reach a verdict. If they do not, there will be a “hung jury”, which means the jurors were unable to reach a conclusion.
Why aren’t the other officers involved being prosecuted for not intervening?
The other former officers, Tou Thao, Thomas Lane, and J Alexander Kueng, who were with Mr Chauvin during Mr Floyd’s arrest, have been charged with aiding and abetting. They are due to face trial in August.
What were the qualifications of the defence witnesses?
During the trial, medical experts testified about Mr Floyd’s cause of death, including forensic pathologist David Fowler, who was a witness for the defence.
Mr Fowler was formerly a chief medical examiner in the US state of Maryland. He has also taught classes at the University of Maryland School of Medicine as an adjunct associate professor.