Former Cop Chauvin Scheduled To Make Initial Court Appearance

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who kept his knee on the neck of George Floyd for nearly nine minutes and is now being charged with second-degree murder, is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Monday afternoon.

The 46-year-old Oakdale resident, has also been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter and is scheduled to appear in Hennepin County District Court at 12:45 p.m. The first court appearance will not include the entering of a plea but will include the charges being read to the defendant. Bail will be set and another hearing will be scheduled.

Chauvin is being held on $1 million bail at the state prison in Oak Park Heights.

Chauvin was charged four days after Floyd died while in police custody on Memorial Day. He was caught on video keeping his knee on Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes, 46 seconds despite pleas from Floyd saying he couldn’t breathe and that he would die if nothing was done. Three of Chauvin’s former colleagues with the Minneapolis Police Department – Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao, were also charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter and are being held in the Hennepin County Jail on $1 million bail without conditions and $750,000 with conditions.

Attorneys for the three former officers said at a court appearance last week that they were rookie cops looking up to Chauvin. According to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the attorney for Lane said that his client asked if they should roll Floyd onto his side, but that the suggestion was rejected by Chauvin.

“What was [Lane] supposed to do … go up to Mr. Chauvin and grab him and throw him off?” the attorney, Earl Gray said last week.

The three former officers are next scheduled to be in court on June 29.

The incident took place shortly after 8 p.m. on Memorial Day when Floyd was said to have attempted to pass a counterfeit bill at Cup Foods. Officers who responded had Floyd handcuffed and were attempting to put him in a patrol car. Chauvin then arrived along with Thao and, according to charging documents, pulled Floyd out of the car and when Floyd resisted, Gray said in the court appearance last week that Chauvin “asserted himself.”