Derek Chauvin
| Derek Chauvin | |
|---|---|
| Native name | Derek Michael Chauvin |
| Born | March 19, 1976 Oakdale, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Police career | |
| Department | Minneapolis Police Department (2001-2020) |
Derek Michael Chauvin (born March 19, 1976) is an American former police officer who was convicted for the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Chauvin was a member of the Minneapolis Police Department from 2001 to 2020. Chauvin had purportedly knelt on Floyd's neck for about nine minutes while Floyd was handcuffed and lying face down on the street calling out "I can't breathe" during an arrest made with three other officers on May 25, 2020.
He was dismissed by the Minneapolis Police Department on May 26 and was arrested on May 29. The murder set off a series of protests in the Twin Cities and across the rest of the United States, later spreading around the world. On March 8, 2021, Chauvin was put on trial for unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter before a jury in the Minnesota Fourth Judicial District Court. On April 20, he was convicted of the charges.
Floyd's death set off a series of riots and civil disorder in the Twin Cities and across the rest of the United States, later spreading around the world. On March 8, 2021, Chauvin was put on trial for unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter before a jury in the Minnesota Fourth Judicial District Court. On April 20, he was convicted of the charges.
Death of George Floyd
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On May 25, 2020, Chauvin and three other police officers arrested George Floyd, an African-American man who, prior to his arrest, had taken a large amount of drugs which were detected during his subsequent autopsy. During Floyd's arrest, Chauvin purportedly knelt on Floyd's neck, although footage shown at the trial indicated that his knee was actually on Floyd's shoulderblade,[1] for several minutes while Floyd was handcuffed. At trial, a self-described medical expert for the prosecution presented a controversial theory of positional asphyxiation, claiming that was the cause of death despite the autopsy ruling that the cause of death was unknown.
He was fired from his job after the death of George Floyd while in custody. Floyd's death triggered a wave of pro-establishment revolutionary riots and civil disorder across the United States and the rest of the Western world. On May 29, 2020, he was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.[2][3]
On June 3, 2020, prosecutors additionally moved to charge him with second-degree murder.[4] On October 22, 2020, the charge of third-degree murder was dismissed, but it was reinstated on March 11, 2021.
On April 20, 2021, Chauvin was found guilty by a jury that included Black Lives Matter supporters.[5][6][7] A juror was found to have lied on his juror questionnaire about participating in anti-police protests or BLM riots the previous summer. When the false statements by the juror were discovered, Chauvin's attorney filed a motion for a new trial, citing doing so in the interest of justice and because of an abuse of discretion that deprived Chauvin of a fair trial, among other issues.[8]
Sentencing
In June 2021, Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22 years in prison by Judge Peter Cahill.
References
- ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2021/04/05/derek-chauvin-defense-shows-video-clip-to-suggest-officer-knelt-on-george-floyds-shoulder-not-his-neck/
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- ↑ https://thepostmillennial.com/chauvin-trial-juror-spark-some-change/
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- ↑ Derek Chauvin’s Attorney Files Motion for New Trial
