Derek Chauvin ARRESTED for Causing the Death of George Floyd.
Former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin has been takin into custody for the death of George Floyd.
Chauvin was caught on video Monday with his knee in the neck of Floyd who lay handcuffed during his arrest. Chauvin, casually, kneeled on Floyd's neck for, what authorities say was, at least seven to nine minutes.
Floyd lay on his stomach, begging for Chauvin to move, bleeding and crying for his mother as he died in front of a crowd of witnesses.
Chauvin, and three other officers who were present, was fired almost immediately.
Today, Chauvin has been taken into custody. John Harrington, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, made the announcement.
Floyd's death has sparked outrage in the city of Minneapolis and the citizens aren't taking his death lightly.
Chauvin was a 19-year veteran of the Minneapolis Police Department but he has had several accusations against him for excessive force in the past.
In another twist to this tale, Chauvin and Floyd had been former co-workers at a popular Minneapolis nightclub. Floyd and Chauvin both worked security at the El Nuevo Rodeo Club on Lake Street in south Minneapolis — and overlapped shifts on popular music nights within the last year, former club owner Maya Santamaria told local outlet KSTP.
"Chauvin was our off-duty police for almost the entirety of the 17 years that we were open," Santamaria said. "They were working together at the same time, it's just that Chauvin worked outside and the security guards were inside."
"My friend sent me (the video) and said this is your guy who used to work for you and I said, 'It's not him.' And then they did the closeup and that's when I said, 'Oh my God, that's him,'" Santamaria said. "I didn't recognize George as one of our security guys because he looked really different lying there like that."
Santamaria says that the two worked overlapping shifts but couldn't say whether they had come in contact with each other or not.
Floyd’s death is being investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, FBI in Minneapolis and the Department of Justice Civil Rights division.
No word on what official charges Chauvin is facing but, in some opinions, this is a start. George Floyd and his family deserve justice!
UPDATE:
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced he has been charged with murder and manslaughter, with the charges scheduled to be released shortly.
