Derek Chauvin Biography
Derek Chauvin is former American police known for his involvement in the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 25, 2020. During an arrest made by Chauvin and three other police officers, he knelt on George’s neck for quite some time while Floyd was handcuffed, lying face down on the street, calling out, “I can’t breath”.
The following day, Derek was fired by the Minneapolis Police Department. He is charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter concerning the death of George Floyd. This incident set off a series of protests in the United States of America, later spreading worldwide.
On October 7, 2020, Chauvin was released on bail and currently, his trial is pending.
Derek Chauvin Age
How old is Derek Chauvin? Chauvin is 47 years old as of 2023. He was born on March 19, 1976, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the United States of America.
Derek Chauvin Family
Chauvin’s father was a certified public accountant while his mother was a housewife. His parents divorced when he was seven years but were granted joint custody of him.
Derek Chauvin Wife
Chauvin was married to his wife Kellie May Chauvin for almost 10 years. Kellie filed for a divorce a day after his husband was charged with third-degree murder in the killing of George Floyd. In addition, Kellie told the court she plans to change her name.
The killing of George Floyd
On May 25, 2020, Chauvin was among the four officers involved in arresting George Floyd, on claims of using a counterfeit $20 bill at a market and was the field training officer for one of the other officers involved. Floyd was not seen resisting arrest from a security camera footage from a nearby business.
The criminal complaint stated that, based on the body camera footage, Floyd repeatedly said he could not breathe while standing outside the police car, resisted getting in the car, and fell down, he went to the ground face down.
After Floyd was handcuffed and lying face down on the street, Derek knelt on Floyd’s neck for almost eight minutes. While Derek’s knee was on Floyd’s neck, Floyd repeatedly said that “I can’t breath”, “Mama” and “please”.
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The other two police officers were on Floyd’s back. For the last two minutes, Floyd was motionless and had no pulse. Bystanders took videos that went viral.
Chauvin and his fellow police officers were fired the following day after the incident. Knee-to-neck restraints are allowed in Minnesota under some circumstances. However, Derek’s use of the technique was widely criticized as excessive by law enforcement experts.
On June 23, the Minneapolis police chief stated that Chauvin was trained in the dangers of positional asphyxiation, hence characterizing Floyd’s death as murder.