The officer responsible for the death of George Floyd, which occurred on May 25 in Minneapolis (Minnesota), has been released on bail, reports Wednesday, October 7 USA Today, citing legal sources.
During Derek Chauvin’s first court appearance on June 8 – two weeks after the tragedy that sparked an unprecedented protest movement against police violence in the United States – the court set his release bail at 1 million dollars (approximately 850,000 euros) under certain conditions.
The former police officer – white -, who had kept his knee on the victim’s neck for more than eight minutes, had been detained since his arrest. This took place on May 29, four days after the incident. Mr. Chauvin is charged with premeditated murder, a count punishable by forty years in prison.
His lawyers have asked a judge to dismiss the murder charges against him, arguing that Mr Floyd’s alleged drug use – and not the officer’s excessive use of force – was responsible for his death.
Trial in March 2021
The three colleagues of Mr. Chauvin – including two beginners – present during the drama are, themselves, accused of complicity in murder. They have already posted bail of $ 750,000 (approximately € 637,000) and have been released pending trial. The four men are due to be tried together in March 2021, but the judge is currently considering a request for them to be tried separately. All four were dismissed from the police.
At 44, Mr. Chauvin was himself a seasoned police officer. Over the course of his nineteen years in the Minneapolis Police Department, he has enjoyed a mixed career, alternating scolding and praise. In total, no less than seventeen complaints were filed against him: complaints whose file, made public by the city police, does not specify the circumstances, indicating however that only two of them have resulted in disciplinary action (in the form of “letters of reprimand”).
One of the new recruits, who was doing her first days of duty on May 25, said her lawyer – unsuccessfully – asked Mr. Chauvin to release the pressure on Mr. Floyd’s body that day. The latter had been arrested for allegedly paying for a pack of cigarettes with a fake 20 dollar bill (16 euros).
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