George Floyd murder suspect Derek Chauvin released from jail on $1m bail
8 October 2020, 11:31
Ex-police officer Derek Chauvin was filmed kneeling on George Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes.
Derek Chauvin, one of the former Minneapolis police officers charged with murder of George Floyd, has been released from prison on bail.
The white 44-year-old ex-cop posted a $1 million bond and was released from a maximum-security prison in Oak Park Heights, Minnesota, on Wednesday (7 Oct), NBC News reports.
BREAKING: Ex-police officer Derek Chauvin, charged for the murder of #GeorgeFloyd, has been released from custody after posting $1M bond, records show.
— AJ+ (@ajplus) October 7, 2020
All 4 officers charged have now been released on bond. pic.twitter.com/GYUM98RJvF
Chauvin is facing murder and manslaughter charges after video footage showed him kneeling on Floyd’s neck for over eight minutes before he died on 25 May, resulting in worldwide outcry and protests over racial injustice.
Three other officers - J Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao - were also fired and charged with aiding and abetting murder as well as aiding and abetting manslaughter, and are awaiting trial.
Chauvin is expected to appear in court in March of next year. He is charged with second-degree murder and faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted.
All four officers are scheduled to face trial together in March, but a judge is reviewing a request to have them tried separately.
Black Lives Matter protests against racial injustice and police brutality have taken place all over the world in response to Floyd's tragic murder.
During his arrest, officers pinned Floyd down to the floor and Chauvin knelt on his neck. Floyd could be heard repeatedly pleading for his life and saying that he couldn't breathe, but despite Floyd being unresponsive, Chauvin continued to kneel on his neck.
