Derek Chauvin, Officer Who Killed George Floyd, Had 18 Prior Complaints Against Him

Derek Chauvin, a police officer who knelt on George Floyd’s neck, resulting in his death, previously had 18 prior complaints against them, according to Minneapolis Police Department’s Internal Affairs, with only two “closed with discipline.”

Chauvin, filmed kneeling at George Floyd’s neck during the arrest for eight minutes and 46 seconds, was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and homicide after the protesting crowd demonstrated for days and burned down Minneapolis police precinct. Three other police officers who were present when Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck, were fired and were charged this week.

Chauvin previously used force on his arrests. He was one of the officers who shot Wayne Reyes, a stabbing suspect, in 2006.

Tou Thao, a police officer who was also present during Floyd’s arrest, had six complaints filed with the MPD internal department. The other two officers had no recorded complaints.

Chauvin and Floyd both previously worked together at the El Nuevo Rodeo club in Minneapolis but didn’t know each other, former club owner Maya Santamaria told CNN.

The 46-year-old African American man was unarmed and, while pinned to the ground, pleaded: “Please, I can’t breathe.” He died shortly after. The Hennepin County medical examiner said preexisting conditions, such as heart disease, were the cause of Floyd’s death. The independent autopsy results later declared Floyd was dead due to “asphyxiation from sustained pressure” on his neck and back, not other health conditions.

Article by Polina Kuznetsova